The Sweetest Sin
by Marissa-Xtreme SelDem Fan
Summary: What was one mistake turned into something so much more and would change the lives of everyone forever... Okay, that sounded really corny and like every other summary out there. So just please read and review! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Okay, so I know I already have one story going, In the Presence of an Angel, but I am having a little bit of writer's block for it. I was also bored and a little uninspired due to the SEVERE lack and withdrawal of Laley lovin', both on the show and my stories, because the one story I'm writing right now is where they are only friends. I am writing a Laley Christmas story, but I wanted to write a regular one so here I am at 11:30 p.m. at night writing this story. I know it's short, but I'm tired because I've had a long two days. I got Jessica Simpson's 'In This Skin' CD from a friend for my birthday/Christmas and that's where the title of this story came from. The title will make more sense later on in the story. For those who read my Baley story, In the Presence of an Angel, I know I said I might be grounded from the computer for two weeks, but I got myself ungrounded. So anyway, please read and review! I hope you all like it!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13, maybe R for later chapters

P.S. – They need to start having some Laley action going on even if it is only friendly platonic action! They need to start hanging out again. I swear I'm going to die of Laley withdrawal if they don't get some on the show soon!

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 1**

Eighteen year old Lucas Scott entered his best friend's house and heard giggling then a pounding of feet. A little girl ran into the room with a bright smiling face followed by Haley who had her hands raised and moving her fingers like a clawing beast with an angry look on her face. The little girl reached up to him and he swooped her up into his arms, "How's my baby?" He kissed her cheek and she wrapped her small arms around his neck, "Help Luke! Daddy, please! Save me from Haley monster! She's trying to get me!" He chuckled and began to tickle her, causing her to giggle, "I would but you forgot about Luke monster!" He laid her on the couch and continued to tickle her as Haley looked on in amusement.

"Daddy, stop! Mommy, Haley please help me!" "Alright," Haley finally said as she picked the girl up, "it's time for your nap sweetie, which I was trying to do before you started running away." "But Luke is here. I want to play with him," the girl pouted, sticking out her lower lip, "please, please, please?!??" Haley sighed and rolled her eyes; she could never resist that pouty, puppy dog face she always gave her. "Okay, but only for an hour. Then it's nap time Krissy; no ifs, ands, or buts about it." "Yay! C'mon daddy, let's go play with my Barbies!" Krissy grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards her room.

Lucas gave Haley a 'Please help me' look and said quietly to her before the little girl could pull him further away, "I'm going to be scarred for life by this." She laughed and smiled, "Well it looks like it hasn't affected you yet because I remember that you used to play Barbies with me when we were little." "I was young and naïve back then," he replied. Haley let out a short laugh, "And you aren't now?" "No, I just can't resist our little girl's sweet face," Lucas smiled as he looked down at Krissy. Haley gave him a wide smile; she loved it when Luke called Krissy their little girl. It made her heart warm with joy and it beat a little faster.

"I'm just glad she's not making me play dress up. I can't fit in your clothes," he added with a grin. Haley smirked, "Of course you can't, you're taller than me and you have muscles. If you wore my clothes, you'd look like some crazy man-ape with my clothes all torn because you can't fit in them. It'd be like one of those primal cave men, man-turning-into-The Hulk, ripping-your-shirt-open kind of thing. Then you'd have to buy me new clothes because you'd have torn and ruined my other ones." "You ramble too much," Lucas stated with an amused chuckle.

"Luke, C'MON," Krissy said loudly and tugging on his hand, her impatience growing. "Alright Squirt, let's go," he responded. He then picked her up and placed her on his shoulders, holding onto her legs to prevent her from falling. As he passed through the archway into the hall, he bent his knees and crouched a little, making a funny noise, as he walked through so Krissy wouldn't hit her head. Krissy just giggled and Haley watched as they retreated from the room.

An hour later, Lucas finally came out of Krissy's bedroom and sat next to Haley on the couch. She put her book down and asked, "Has it already been an hour? I guess I need to go put her down for her nap now." She started to get up but Lucas stopped her with a hand on her arm, "No, I put her to sleep. She wanted her daddy to tuck her in." Haley smiled softly in awe at the child's sweetness. "So, how was it," she inquired with a smirk as she set her book on the side table. "We played Barbies for awhile then we had a tea party. And let me tell you, the tea don't taste too great," he said as he stuck out his tongue and made a 'Yuck!' face. Haley sighed and slowly shook her head, "Sorry about that. I keep telling her to stop, but she can't reach the sink yet so she uses the toilet water." Lucas' eyes bulged in shock and his face took on a slightly green tint, "What?!" Haley couldn't stand holding it in any longer and burst out laughing. "That's not funny," Lucas protested, which only caused Haley to laugh harder. "Yes it is," she managed to get out through gasps of air. After she had calmed down, they both talked for awhile.

"So, have you gotten a babysitter for Kris next Friday," Lucas asked her with a raised eyebrow. "Why, what's Friday," she inquired in confusion. "Don't tell me you don't remember, Hales. Freshman year we made a deal that we would go to all the dances together. Are you going to break this promise now, right at the end of senior year when all the fun is happening?" "But-" she started to protest, but he put a finger to her lips to stop her. "You're going to the Spring Fling with me," he stated with a confident smile, "no ifs, ands, or buts about it Miss James." "I don't want to go, "Haley sighed and pouted, "I don't like my date. He's too controlling; he's making me go against my will."

"Oh he is, is he," he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes, "well, we'll just have to do something about that won't we?" He then began to tickle her and she tried to squirm and wiggle from his grasp, but failed miserably. Being so close to Haley and holding her in his arms made his body heat up and he wanted to kiss her, but he knew she wasn't ready for that; not after last time.

He looked at his watch and noticed what time it was then slowly pulled away from her, "Sorry Hales, I've got to go. Mom's expecting me home to help her with something, some house cleaning project or something crazy like that. I think it's called Spring Cleaning. Make sure you get a babysitter for next Friday. Oh, and give Kris a kiss for me and tell her I love her when she goes to bed." He hugs Haley and gave her a light kiss on the forehead, "I'll see you tomorrow Hales." Lucas then exited the house, shutting the door quietly so as to not wake the sleeping child. Haley sighed as she fought back tears and collapsed onto the couch again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 2! Sorry I didn't update sooner, it's just been a crazy week with finals and work. I know most, probably all of you, were confused about some things after the first chapter, but I wanted to start and end it that way, leave you guys asking questions and wondering. Most of your questions should be answered in this chapter. If they aren't, ask me and I'll answer them as best I can without giving the story away. I hope you guys like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB. Krissy is mine though.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 2 **

Haley sighed and smiled sadly as she watched Krissy sleeping peacefully in her bed, clutching the stuffed dog Luke had given her for her third birthday only a few short months ago. The last three years had been hard on both her and Krissy. Haley's parents were never home and her mother had split almost as soon after Kristina Summer James had been born to get back to her job. Their jobs and careers were all what her parents cared about. They didn't care that they left their daughter to raise a child as a teenage mother all by herself.

She had always tried to protect Krissy from her parents because she knew that they would hurt her; not physically of course, but emotionally, just as she had been when she was younger, but she was used to it now. She didn't want anyone to hurt Krissy as much as her parents had hurt her when they had left her and she would do anything to protect her from going through the same thing.

Haley hardly ever talked about her parents to Krissy so the little girl hardly knew anything about them. What was the point? They very rarely came home anyway. Luke was there for both of them and helped out a lot with Krissy and Haley was grateful. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to take care of her all by herself. Since Lucas was over at the house a lot, whether it was to hang out, study, or take care of Kris, the two had become really close; as much as she and Haley were. Luke had been there for them ever since Kris was born and when Haley's mother left. Ever since she could talk, Krissy had taken to calling Haley and Lucas, mommy and daddy, because they were the only parents she had really ever known her entire life. She knew that Haley was her sister and that Luke wasn't her real dad, but she took great pride and comfort in calling them mommy and daddy even though she still called them Luke and Haley.

She sighed again as she thought about last night. She could have sworn that Lucas had wanted to kiss her after tickling her and she could still feel the disappointment coursing through her body when he had pulled away. But she couldn't kiss him, it was wrong and they had been friends for nearly fifteen years. And that's how their relationship would stay; on a strictly friendship level.

Haley felt a hand on her lower back and a soft but deep voice, "She's still sleeping?" She nodded and turned her head to look at Lucas, who was gazing at the little girl lovingly. She quietly closed the door to avoid waking her, "Yeah, I made the mistake of giving her some ice cream last night and she started bouncing off the walls. She tuckered herself out, and me as well." "Come on, I'll make you some breakfast. What do you want," he asked, leading her to the kitchen.

Fifteen minutes later, Haley was sitting at the table eating while Luke fixed his own breakfast when Krissy walked sleepily into the room, rubbing her eyes. "Morning Haley," she yawned then saw Luke over by the stove and raced over to him, hugging his legs, "Daddy!" He picked her up and placed her on his hip, "Hey baby. Did you sleep good?" The little girl nodded her head emphatically and she gave him one of her big smiles, "Uh huh, I had really good dream last night! I dreamed that you, me, and mommy went to the court by the river to play basketball then we went to go get ice cream! And I was walking between you two with both of you holding my hands and swinging me. Then we went to the docks to watch all the boats!"

Lucas smiled at her enthusiastic explanation, "That sounds great! I think we could do that." "Oh no, no more ice cream for you, missy. You've already had enough from the overdose of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream you had last night," Haley said as she shook her finger from side to side. "How about we do all of those things, but instead of the ice cream, we go to the café and get some lunch," Lucas suggested. "Okay," Krissy said excitedly. "Fine by me," Haley responded then took the little girl from Luke, "let's get you dressed and some food in you then we can go."

When Haley and Krissy came out twenty minutes later, Krissy was dressed in a pair of little jean shorts and was wearing a lavender colored hooded sweatshirt that she had also gotten from Luke on her third birthday; she hardly went anywhere outside without wearing it. "You're looking spiffy, little lady," he said with a grin. She giggled, "I look just like you, but mine's purple." "I know, I picked it out just for you because I know purple is your favorite color besides blue," he replied as he picked her up. "Let's go to the court now! I wanna play basketball," Krissy exclaimed excitedly. "Alright, off to the rivercourt we go."

It was empty when they reached the court and Kris immediately ran onto it, trying to bounce the basketball, which was big in proportion to her small body. Haley smiled at the scene and turned to Lucas. "She's truly her daddy's little girl. She loves basketball and she loves you," she said softly. "I'm not her dad though, at least not her real one," Lucas replied with a hint of sadness. "Yes you are; you are her father in every way that counts. And you are her real father. You're here for her; you're there when she cries, when she's happy… you're here for everything; you're real to her. My father and mother are just an illusion to her, figments of her imagination, strangers who come visit her every once in a great while. She looks up to you as a father figure and I'm glad that she does. She hardly has any other men in her life for her to look up to. I'm glad that you're here for me too. I don't know what I'd do without you. It's been so hard raising Kris all by myself these past three years but you've been there to help me since the beginning…."

By now, tears had welled in her eyes and Lucas pulled her in close to his chest for a tight hug. "Sh, it's okay. I'll always be here for you, no matter what, Hales, you know that." She nodded and Krissy called from the court, "Come on, I want to play!" The two teens joined her and Lucas placed her on his shoulders, "Alright Squirt, it's you and me against Mommy. Are we going to win?" "Yeah," the girl exclaimed as she slapped him a high five. Haley rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Of course you're going to win, Kris, you've got the star of the Ravens basketball team as your partner. I think I'm being ganged up on here." "Oh come on Hales, be a good sport. This isn't a competition anyway. We're just having some fun," Lucas responded as he bounced the basketball with one hand. "Yeah, it's fun for you two because you can actually play basketball, I can't." "You can at least try," he suggested. Haley sighed in defeat, "Okay, let's get this over with." Lucas just shook his head and laughed in amusement. They had this conversation every time they went to play basketball.

It was nearly noon when Lucas, Haley, and Krissy left the docks and headed to the café for some lunch. Krissy was between them, holding both their hands and they were gently swinging her forward as they walked, her making joyous giggles as they did so.

They entered the café and sat in their usual booth then Karen came over to them with a bright smile, "Hey guys, hey Kris! What can I get for you?" "Don't worry about it Mom, I'll make our lunch. Let me guess, grilled cheese and apple juice for the little princess and a BLT and a coke for you," he said as he pointed a finger at Krissy then Haley. "Yep, yep!" Krissy replied. Haley nodded and Lucas responded as he stood up next to his mother, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Karen went back behind the counter as she stared at Haley with Krissy and smiled as she thought about her son. He was such a good guy for helping Haley out. Even though Krissy wasn't Haley's daughter, Karen knew how hard it was to raise a child at such a young age. She didn't know how Haley could manage to go to school, tutor people, work at the café, and still have time to play and take care of Krissy, but she did.

A few minutes later, Haley felt someone kiss her cheek, "Hey babe." Nathan then slid into the booth seat opposite them and reached over to ruffle Krissy's hair, "Hey kid." The little girl got any angry look on her face and she tried to smooth her hair back down, "My name is not Kid! My name is Kristina Summer James." "Sorry Krissy," Nathan apologized. She still looked mad, "Don't call me Krissy! Only Mommy and Daddy and Karen are allowed to call me that." She turned to Haley, "Mommy, I want Daddy!" Krissy then slid down from the seat and ran to the kitchen but was stopped by Lucas coming out, "Whoa there Squirt, what's the rush?" "Daddy," Kris shouted, reaching up to him for him to pick her up. He set the plates down on the counter and picked her up, "What's wrong baby?" She then explained what had happened at the table in the best way she could for a three-year-old.

Meanwhile, back in the booth, Haley replied, "Sorry, I don't know what's gotten into her. She's usually not like this." "That's okay," Nathan responded, trying to hide the anger rising within him at the scene that had just played out and seeing Krissy run to Lucas. He then remembered the first time that, that had happened. Haley had been tutoring him for a week and he hadn't known about Krissy.

_Nathan walked up the steps to Haley's house and knocked on the door. A little girl answered and stared up at him inquisitively, "Who are you?" "I'm sorry, I must have the wrong address. I was looking for Haley James," he said. "Nope you got the right place," she said then shouted into the house, "Mommy! Someone's at the door for you!" His eyes widened in shock and almost bulged out of their sockets at this. Haley James had a daughter? Where was the father? Haley came from somewhere in the back and placed her on her hip, "Sweetie, I told you not to answer the door." Haley faced Nathan, "Oh, hey Nathan. This is Krissy, and Krissy, this is Nathan." Krissy had her head laid against Haley's shoulder and was sucking her thumb shyly. "Come on in," Haley gestured for him to step inside and she closed the door after he did. They sat on the couch with Krissy in Haley's lap and Nathan sat in an armchair. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but why are you here," she asked, "did I forget that we had a tutoring session today?" Nathan shook his head, "No, I just wanted to ask you if we could have tomorrow's session on Tuesday instead?" "Sure, that's fine with me," Haley replied. _

_It was then the door opened and Lucas entered, "Hey Hales." Krissy bolted off of Haley's lap and raced over to him, "Daddy!" He swooped her up and kissed her cheek as he held her up in the air then cradled her in his arms, "Hey baby, how's my little girl?" Nathan nearly died of a heart attack right then and there. Lucas was the father? Lucas and Haley had a child together? Maybe that's why they're so close… "Uh, I'm just gonna go. I'll see you later Haley," Nathan replied awkwardly. "Okay, I'll see you Tuesday."_

"What's up Nate," Haley asked, noticing the expression on his face. "I wanted to ask you something," he stated. "Okay, what is it," she inquired. "I know it's still a month or two away, but I wanted to ask you if you would go to senior prom with me?" Haley shifted uncomfortably and replied, "I'm sorry Nathan, but I promised Luke freshman year that we would go to senior prom together. And you know I'm not one to break promises…." "What the hell Haley," he began to shout, "you'll go to the last, most important dance of our high school years with Lucas and not even your own boyfriend?" "Nathan, please…" she begged him to understand. "What's going on here," Lucas asked sternly as he walked up with Krissy in his arms. "Nothing," Nathan responded coldly, "I'm out of here." He began to walk away and Haley followed him, placing a hand gently on his arm to stop him, "Nathan, wait… I'll go with you to prom, okay? I'm sorry. I'll tell Luke that I can't go with him." She stood on her tip toes and kissed him lightly on the lips. He nodded silently then left the café.

"What was that all about," Lucas asked when Haley returned to the booth. "I can't go with you to prom, Luke," she replied. "Why," he asked confusedly. "Nathan asked me and I said yes." "But Haley, you promised that we'd go together," Lucas started to raise his voice. "I know, but that was freshman year, Luke, I didn't have a boyfriend then." "Whatever Haley. Your food is on the counter. I'm gonna go," He stood up angrily and began to walk away when Krissy ran after him, "Wait! Daddy, I want to come with you!" He picked her up and turned to Haley, "I'll bring her back to your house later."

It was early evening and Lucas had still not returned with Krissy. She decided to go to his house and see if he was there. She entered his room from the door outside and smiled softly at the sight. Lucas lay flat on his back with Krissy laying on her stomach on his chest, one arm flung over his body and sucking her thumb on her other. Luke had one hand protectively holding Krissy with it on her back. She watched the gentle rise and fall of their chests as they slept peacefully; she didn't want to disturb them. She lightly ran her hand over her sister's head and stoked her cheek then kissed her forehead. She sat down and suddenly she felt tired; tired from the day, tired from the fight, and tired from keeping her innermost secret from her best friend.

She carefully lay down beside him and Krissy, making sure not to wake them up. She stared at his innocent baby face and blonde locks, his lips and then his chest and arms. He had such strong arms; many a time he had held her when she cried, or hugged her when she was happy; she loved those arms, they made her feel safe. She placed her hand next to Luke's on Krissy's back and smiled then drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

It was nearly dark out when Lucas woke up and he was surprised to see Haley sleeping beside him. He then looked to Krissy and saw that Haley's hand was right next his on the girl's back. He sighed contentedly and reveled at having Haley beside him. For a moment, he could just imagine them being together, the three of them being a family. He imagined waking up every morning next to her just like this and making love to her every night. He knew Haley didn't think of herself as all that pretty, but she was. To him, she was the most beautiful person in the world. He wanted hold her and kiss her, be with her in a way that they had never been before. But that was off limits to him; Haley was dating someone; his half-brother no less. He was brought out of his reverie when Haley shifted a little and slowly opened her eyes. "Hey," she said quietly. "Hi," he whispered with a raspy voice. "I'm sorry," she murmured and she looked down at Krissy, avoiding his eyes. "I'm sorry too, I didn't mean to blow up at you like that. And you're right. You should go with your boyfriend."

"Thanks Luke, for being so understanding," Haley said then sat up, "I'm going to take Krissy home and put her to bed. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He nodded and Haley gently picked the sleeping child up in her arms. Thankfully, Krissy stayed asleep and Haley made her way towards the door. "Bye Luke," she responded quietly as she walked out.

On the inside, he was hurting badly. He had wanted so much to go to senior prom with Haley. He had already begun to plan their special night together, but now his hopes were shattered. He had intended on telling her how he felt that night. He had been planning senior prom with Haley for years, since the beginning of freshman year when the pact had been made that they would go to every dance together. This was before Nathan had stepped into the picture and ruined everything. Now she would never know what he had done for her and how he felt about her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry for such a long wait for an update on this story, but this chapter is kind of long so I think you'll be happy about that. I just want to tell all of you that I really appreciate all of your reviews for this story! I never expected to get so much amazing feedback! So without further ado, here's Chapter 3! As always please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **R, just so you're warned.

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 3**

Friday finally came around and Lucas met Haley by her locker that morning at school. "Hey Hales, you all ready for tonight? Got your outfit and shoes and everything? I'm picking you up at six so we can go to dinner then head over to the dance. Who is babysitting Krissy tonight?" "She's at a play date sleep over with one of the little girls she met at daycare. And yes, I've got my outfit and everything," she responded as she shut her locker. "What are you wearing," he asked. "A dress," she simply stated. "Wow! Haley James is wearing a dress just for me? I feel so honored," he put both hands over his heart as he replied in a dramatic tone. "You're such a kiss-ass, Luke," she gently pushed him as she started to walk away, "I've gotta get to class and you do too."

At 5:45 that evening, Lucas entered Haley's house without knocking, as he usually did, because he wanted to surprise her. He stood in the center of the living room holding a bouquet of pink roses, her favorite, dressed in a traditional black tuxedo suit. She appeared from the hallway a few minutes later wearing a flowing pink satin dress that went down to mid-calf in different lengths. It had thin spaghetti straps and a layer of rose colored chiffon covering the part of the bodice and down the rest of the dress, making her look like a fairy. She wore matching high heels and her hair was in luscious curls all over her head. Haley, although not one to wear makeup very much, wore mascara and eye shadow, also applying a thin layer of blush and soft pink lipstick.

Lucas stood there awestruck by the beauty that stood before him, his throat too choked up to say anything. When he finally found words, he said softly, breaking out into a wide grin, "Hales… you look beautiful…" She smiled warmly at his comment, "Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself. All you need is the sunglasses and dye your hair brown then you'll look like James Bond." He smirked at her then pulled out a pair of sunglasses, took each arm of them and shook them out and put them on then spun in a circle, snapping his fingers and pointing both of his index fingers at her before clicking his tongue in his mouth. She laughed at his little act and grabbed his arm, leading him towards the door, "Come on Michael Jackson, save your moves for the dance floor." "Wait," he said, pulling her back to him. "What," she asked. "These are for you," Lucas handed the roses over to her, "Aww, that is so sweet of you Luke. I love them; they're my favorite." "I know, that's why I got them for you. But wait, there's more," he smiled as he lifted and index finger to make her stay. He brought the hand he had hidden behind his back into her view and she gasped at the beautiful corsage. It was another pink rose bud surrounded by baby's breath. He carefully took it from the box and slipped it on her wrist. He then put one arm behind his back and bowed like a gentleman, kissing the back of her hand.

She kissed his cheek and he pulled her towards the door, "Let's go, I've got reservations." Haley raised an eyebrow in questioning, "Where?" "You'll just have to wait and see," he smiled as he helped her up into the truck. They drove for about fifteen minutes when he pulled into a parking space at Antonio's Mexican Restaurant. Haley's face brightened with a wide smile; Mexican food was her favorite. After helping her from the truck, he slipped his arm through hers and led her into the establishment. "Lucas Scott, reservations for two," he said to the hostess. "Ah yes, Mr. Scott. Right this way sir," she led them to a secluded section and set their menus on the table before giving them a smile and walking away.

Haley slid the shawl from her shoulders and Lucas pushed in her chair after she sat down then settled into his own seat. Haley took one look at the menu and her jaw dropped down and her eyes bulged slightly in shock, "Lucas, this place is so expensive…" She was silenced by him raising his hand to stop her, "Don't worry about it. Pick anything you want off of the menu. It's all on me. And don't argue with me, you're not paying a dime." She smiled with a glint in her eyes, "I guess I'll have to order the most expensive thing on the menu then." "Oh god, you're really going to break my bank aren't you? Then I'll be poor and homeless and I'll have to live on the streets… or I'll have to come live with you." Haley wrinkled her nose, "Ew, I don't want you living with me! You'll go play basketball with the guys and then you'll come back all sweaty and stinky…and-and you're a slob! I don't know how your mother puts up with you." Haley's body began to warm at the thought of Lucas coming home from the rivercourt all hot and sweaty and imagined walking up to him, kissing him, and then beginning to pull his shirt off…

"Gee Hales, it's nice to know what you really think of me. And I am not a slob. You call this being a slob," he asked as he gestured to his tux then the restaurant they were sitting in. Haley shook from her reverie and cleared her throat, hoping Lucas didn't notice the blush that had crept up in her cheeks. "Well, I'll give you that, but you are the other ninety-nine percent of the time," she responded as she took a sip of her water. "Am not," Lucas replied childishly. "Are too," she returned with a smile. "Am not," he repeated again. "We could go on like this forever, but then we might start looking foolish and cause a scene in front of all these people in a fancy restaurant. Then we'll be doomed to washing dishes in the back as our punishment and we won't be able to go to the dance. Besides, are too infinity," she replied with a small giggle then warningly pointed an index finger at him to not test her. He just rolled his eyes and sighed exasperatedly in defeat, "Alright, you win." She quietly clapped her hands together and bounced a little in her seat, a bright smile on her face, "I love it when I win."

"What are you going to order," Lucas asked as he glanced over the menu items. Haley bit her lip as she too looked over the food choices, "I don't know. Everything's so expensive." "Haley, would you stop thinking about money? I told you, this night is all on me. Order whatever you want, no matter the price," Lucas chastised her. Haley sighed, "Fine, I'll have the taco salad." He stared at her sternly, "Haley, that's the cheapest thing on the menu. I know that's not what you really want. Now order something you really want or I'm going to take you home and you can forget the dance. It's not going to be any fun if you're going to keep on being a killjoy tonight." A few tears formed in her eyes as she responded quietly, "I'm sorry. I just- I don't want you to spend all your money that you've worked so hard for Luke, particularly on little ole me. I'm nothing special."

He scooted his chair closer to hers and took both of her hands in his, staring into her deep brown eyes, "Haley you are special. You are one of the most special people in the world that I know. How you don't realize that is beyond me. And my money is my money. I can choose to do with it whatever I want. And I choose to spend it on you. I want this night to be special." "Luke, we could be eating burgers and fries at your mom's café and tonight would still be amazing. I don't need flowers or fancy restaurants to make this night special." "No, but you deserve it," Lucas replied, "Hales, you have worked so hard your whole life to get to where you are now and all that you've accomplished despite your struggles in life. I know the past three years of raising Krissy have been hard on you and you deserve a break once in a while, a break where you can let loose a little and just be a teenager again for a while. And I'm trying to do that for you."

"I'm sorry," she replied softly, sniffling. He wiped the few tears that had fallen onto her cheeks with his thumb. "Thank you for doing all this," Haley responded as she smiled up at him, "you're so good to me Luke. It's a wonder some girl hasn't snatched you up yet." "Well, my obligations to my family come first and foremost. Besides, why would I want another girl around when I already have three beautiful, wonderful girls in my life," he grinned. "And who might those three girls be," Haley asked coyly with a smile. "Well, of course there's the woman who has put up with me for eighteen years and nine months and also gave me my handsome good looks and brilliant charm. Then there's my little girl who is about three years old and is the sweetest thing in the world. Then of course, last of all, is my best friend who is an amazing girl and also has put up with me for most of my life. To the three girls in my life," he raised his glass in a toast and Haley raised hers to clink it against his glass. "So, I'm last on your list, huh," she asked. "It was in no particular order," Lucas replied as he sipped his water. "Nice to know what place I take in your life, Luke," she replied sarcastically. "Hey, you know you're important to me, right," he inquired with his forehead wrinkled in concern, his thumb rubbing the back of one of her hands. She nodded and swiped at her cheeks. He cupped her cheek and lifted her chin so she would have no choice but to look in his eyes. "Haley, you are so important to me. If I didn't have you or Kris, my life would be meaningless and empty. You make me who I am," Lucas gazed at her with his soft deep blue eyes then hugged her tightly.

Haley sniffled a bit and wiped under her eyes then chuckled, "I probably look like a raccoon from all this crying." "No, you look beautiful. It's a good thing you used water-proof mascara," he replied as he brushed a fallen strand away from her face. "Yeah…" Haley said and was about to say more when the waiter appeared. "May I take your order," he asked as he got out his pad and retrieved a pen from his apron. Lucas and Haley pulled away from each other and composed themselves. "Yes, I would like the shredded beef chimichanga with red sauce and the lady will have the beef and cheese combo enchilada platter. Could you also bring some Tabasco or hot sauce please," Lucas inquired as he set down his menu on the table. "Certainly, sir," the waiter replied as he took their menus, "can I get you anything else?" Lucas responded, "No thank you, we're fine for now." The waiter nodded before walking to the kitchen.

"Why did you order my food," Haley inquired, "I can order my own dinner thank you very much." "Yeah, but I knew you would've ordered the taco salad despite what I said earlier and I didn't want you to get something that you didn't want to eat," he reasoned. "How do you know I didn't want the taco salad?" "Because every time we eat Mexican food, you get the beef and cheese enchiladas, no matter what Mexican place we eat at," Lucas replied with a smirk. "Well, maybe I wanted to try something new," she responded. "You'll just have to try it some other time then," he smiled. "You're impossible," she grumbled as she folded her arms over her chest. "Right back at ya, Hales," he replied with a wide grin.

The dance had already been under way for nearly an hour when Lucas and Haley finally arrived. The gymnasium was decorated with flowers, both real and artificial, and pastel colored balloons. A makeshift stage was set up for the DJ and in a corner of the gym was the photographer, taking pictures for the people who wanted them. Haley tugged on his hand, leading him over there, "Come on, let's get our picture taken." Once it was their turn they stepped up to the set and Haley positioned herself on Lucas' right side, wrapping her arms around his torso, and he curled his right arm around her shoulder then placed his left hand on her right hip. The photographer observed them for a moment before shaking his head, "No, that doesn't look right. Try it like this." He moved Haley in front of Lucas and placed his hands on Haley's hips. He stood back and glanced them over again, "No, that still doesn't look right. Your arms are too long." He then took Lucas' hands and pulled them up a little bit, placing them against Haley's stomach then moving her hands to place them on top of Lucas'. "Perfect," the photographer smiled then went behind his camera, "okay, on three, I want you to smile. 1-2-3 smile!" The flash went off and the two friends were momentarily blinded before they returned to the outskirts of the dance floor.

"Your arms are too long," Haley laughed as she mimicked the photographer. "Hey," he protested. "I'm thirsty, let's go get something to drink," Haley stated as she pulled him over to the refreshments table. "Yeah, I didn't want to get any drinks besides the water they gave us at the restaurant because they were like two dollars a pop and another dollar for refills. Then I would've really gone broke," he chuckled. "Luke, I told you that place was really expensive. We should have gone somewhere else so you wouldn't have had to spend so much money," she chastised him. "It was all worth it though. I know you enjoyed it by the little grunts and moans you made as you ate. Besides, it was either a nice dinner or a limo ride to the dance. And I know how much you love food," he grinned at her. She lightly punched him in the shoulder and glared at him, "Lucas Scott! Are you implying that I'm fat?" "No, I think you look beautiful tonight. Besides, I know you would rather have a full stomach rather than an empty stomach when you expend all that energy on the dance floor," he grinned as he poured himself a cup of punch after serving one to Haley. "I'm not ready to dance yet, I just want to sit and take it all in for a bit," she replied as she took his hand and led them back to their table.

Two hours and several cups of punch later, Lucas and Haley were dancing closely to a slow long among many other couples on the floor. He held one of her hands in his and his other arm wrapped around her waist with her free arm around his shoulders. "Did I tell you, you look beautiful tonight," Lucas asked softly, staring into her brown eyes. Haley lowered her head as she blushed, embarrassed by his compliment. "Well, you do," he responded as he lifted her chin with an index finger. Her breath caught in her throat at the look in his eyes. "I-I-I need some air," she responded nervously as she pulled away from him and fled the gymnasium to the cool night outside. Lucas followed her concernedly and found her staring up at the star-filled sky, her arms crossed and breathing slightly heavily from her sprint. "Hales, what's wrong," Lucas asked worriedly, walking up behind her and rubbing the sides of her arms. "Nothing, there's just so many people in there. I was feeling a little claustrophobic." "Do you want me to go get you something to drink? Water, or maybe another punch?" She replied with a small smile, "Punch please, and thanks." "Not a problem," he smiled back, squeezing her shoulder in comfort before making his way back inside to the refreshments table.

"Here you go," he said, handing the drink to her a few minutes later. "Thanks," she said again, taking it from his outstretched hand and sipping it. After a few more moments of silence, Lucas asked, "Do you want to dance out here where there's less people? We can still hear the music from inside." "Sure," she responded, setting her cup on the wall and resuming their positions as they had been on the dance floor before, another slow song beginning. After a while, Haley moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head against his chest. She tried to stifle a yawn but it slipped and Lucas noticed this. "Are you tired," he asked, rubbing her back. "A little. Despite my attempts, Krissy kept me up last night and I didn't go to bed until almost eleven because I couldn't sleep," she responded. "Do you want me to take you home? It's totally fine with me if you want to. I know how tired you must feel, Kris has tuckered me out a couple times as well. I'm just glad you came with me tonight. You really needed a break," he hugged her around the waist. "Mhmm," she mumbled into his shirt, her eyelids becoming heavy and drifting closed. "Alright, come on. I'm taking you home," he took her hand while supporting most of her weight as she leaned against him while they stumbled through the parking lot to the truck.

Haley promptly dozed off as soon as her head hit the seat and Lucas carefully drove back to Haley's house, watching out for dips or bumps so as not to disturb her. When he pulled up into the driveway and turned the truck off, Lucas gently leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Hales," he whispered, brushing a few strands of hair from her face, "sweetie, you have to get up. We're home." She grumbled in response and stretched. Lucas helped her down from the cab so she wouldn't hurt herself getting out in her sleepy state. They walked up the sidewalk to Haley's front door as she fished for her keys in her purse. She let them in and tossed both her purse and keys onto the table by the door. He took her hand to get her attention then hugged her and kissed her forehead, "Thanks for coming with me tonight. I had a really great time." She returned the gestures and grinned. "No, thank you. Everything was wonderful. Even the expensive dinner," she sighed, "I'm sorry you had to leave the dance early because of me." "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't have had as good a time with anybody else," he replied as Haley yawned and continued, "I'm gonna go and let you get some sleep. Sweet dreams, Hales."

He rubbed her back and began to make his way towards the door when he heard Haley say something, "Wait, if I'm not mistaken, I'm supposed to be getting a goodnight kiss." "And where did you get that from," Lucas asked as he walked back over to her. "It's in the unwritten rule book on dances, of course silly," she laughed. "Alright, I guess I can bear a second or two of torture," he grinned. Haley scoffed as she placed her hands on her hips, "Fine, then you'll have kiss me for three seconds. And, believe me, I don't like kissing you either, it's just as tortuous for me as it is for you." "Haley…" Lucas protested. "Five seconds," she responded. "But Haley, I don't-" he continued but was cut off by Haley. "Seven seconds," she stated. He rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat then closed his eyes, preparing himself for what he was about to do so he could properly hide his feelings for the beautiful girl in front of him. "Fine," he replied.

He began to move in, closing the distance between them as the breath involuntarily hitched in her throat as his face drew near hers. Lucas pressed his lips lightly to hers, wary not to press any harder for he knew that she didn't want anything more than friendship. What surprised him though, was that Haley started to kiss him more firmly as she pressed her body against his and wrapped her arms around his back, leaving no space in between their bodies. Lucas began to feel like he was playing the game Seven Minutes In Heaven like he had in his younger years at the boy-girl parties he used to attend. He had waited so long for this moment, but he knew it was wrong; something wasn't right. He pulled back from her and placed his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes, "Hales… what are we doing?" "Isn't it obvious," she whispered back, her warm breath tickling his neck. Haley started to nibble on his earlobe and he was nearly a goner right then and there. His lips sought hers blindly as he ran his hands up and down her back then through the thick, curly tresses of her hair.

Haley started a trail of soft, warm kisses from his jaw down to his neck then began to suck and lightly lick at the sensitive skin under his ear. A shiver and jolt shot through him when she nipped at it gently, causing a moan to escape his mouth and lean his head back to give Haley better access. After a few minutes of her ministrations, Lucas took a turn and kissed his way down the column of her neck and across her collarbone. She met his lips eagerly and grabbed his tie, pulling him with her as she backed down the hallway towards her bedroom.

When they entered, Haley kissed him fiercely again then moved her hands up, pushing his jacket off his shoulders and letting it drop to the floor. Next, she moved her hands to the top of his shirt, undoing the buttons down the front. That was slid off too and discarded as she moved her hands over his chest through the white undershirt he wore. Lucas put one hand behind her neck and tilted her head up to press his lips against hers. Haley's hands moved under his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it carelessly aside. Lucas lightly grazed her shoulders with his lips, pushing the thin straps of her dress down her arms. Her fingers entwined themselves in his short, unruly hair, threading them through it. Haley lightly pushed her tongue against his mouth, asking for permission to enter, which he gladly granted her. He moaned loudly when her tongue touched his and got his first taste of her. She tasted of cherries… or was it strawberries? He didn't know nor did he care at that moment. Lucas let out a disappointed groan when she pulled away, only to sit on the bed and begin taking her shoes off. He followed suit and soon they were standing again.

Lucas stepped behind her and slowly started to unzip her dress as he continued to suck at her collarbone. Haley moaned loudly and then she felt his warm hands on her bare back, softly caressing her smooth skin. He slid his arms inside the dress, wrapping his arms around her body then rubbing his hands over her toned abdomen, the sides of her body, then cupped her breasts through the strapless bra she was wearing underneath. Haley gasped at his touching her there and the sensual feeling that passed through her as she leaned her head back to rest it in the crook of his neck. She lifted her arms above her head and placed them behind his head, bringing his lips to hers in a passion-filled kiss. "Mmm, Hales, you're so amazing…" Lucas murmured against her mouth. They parted long enough so that Lucas could help slide Haley out of her dress before he captured her lips again and ran his hands along her body, memorizing the curves of her body.

She fingered the top of his pants then slid them down a little further, grasping the zipper and pulling it down as she smiled up at him, "These need to go." "Well don't let me stop you," he replied seductively as he grinned then leaned his head down, kissing and licking at the sensitive skin of her collarbone. "Mmm… Oh Luke, that feels so good… don't stop…" Haley responded breathlessly with her eyes closed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and moved closer to him, pulling herself up along his body, rubbing against him. "Oh god, Hales…" he murmured into her hair, his breath coming out in short, ragged intervals. He then advanced to her chest, gliding his hands over the soft pale skin of the tops of her breasts. He curled his arms around her back and undid her bra, grinning as he replied in a husky voice, "This needs to go too." He threw it behind him and it landed on a lampshade.

Lucas brought his hands up, slowly, gently grabbing her breasts and squeezing them then beginning to massage them with his fingers. Haley moaned sensually, which only furthered his need for her. He lightly rubbed his thumbs over and around her nipples repeatedly, causing them to become hard and erect buds of pink flesh. He teased one of them with his tongue, darting around the dark circle of her areola but never making contact. "Luke," Haley whimpered, thrusting her chest forward pleadingly towards his mouth. He shook his head and grinned before dipping his head and performing the same treatment on her other breast. By now, Haley was panting heavily, her chest rising and falling quickly with each inhale and exhale of air mixed with the musky scent of his cologne. He then flicked each nipple with his tongue and blew his warm breath on them, making them become even more erect. Haley gasped at the contact and her stomach clenched at the feeling of pleasure rising within her. Lucas gently drew her breast into his mouth and began to suckle it tenderly as Haley made little mewling and whimpering sounds. He began to suck a little harder, pressing her nipple against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. "Lucas…" Haley moaned breathlessly, fingering the waistband of his boxers. She rubbed the mound of his hard erection through the thin material and he groaned, feeling the fast pulsing and throbbing between his legs.

He reluctantly tore himself away from her breast and gently laid her down on the bed then moved down and slowly slipped her panties off before removing his own boxers. He lay down on top of her and kissed her lips tenderly but passionately then started a trail down her body to her chin, her neck, the valley between her breasts, her toned abdomen, then down to her pelvic bone where he stopped there. He parted her folds and inserted one finger to feel how wet she was and he felt her tightness enclosing him. She was wet, oh so wet, and it was all for him. She gasped and moaned at this contact, arching her hips up and trying to push him further into her. She was ready. "Luke, we don't have any protection…" Haley managed to get out through labored breaths. He moved over to the edge of the bed and grabbed his pants, pulling his wallet from his back pocket. He slipped the small square out and held it up to her as he smiled, his eyes hazy with desire, "I always have one with me just in case." Haley stared up at him innocently with her big brown eyes, the same lust-filled gaze trained on him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to meet her lips. When they pulled away from each other, Lucas took the square between his teeth and ripped it open then pulled out the condom. He rolled off of her onto the other side of the bed and slid the condom over his erect penis.

Lucas gestured for her to climb on top of him and for a moment he saw a look of uncertainty or fear flash across her face. But he was too far gone to care right then. He needed release and soon; he needed to be inside her. The vision of Haley's expression passed from his mind as quickly as the wind when Haley moved over and lightly pressed her small frame against his chest. He cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes, talking softly to ease her worries, "It's going to hurt Hales, but it won't for too long. Just relax okay?" She nodded despite the same expression appearing in her delicate features again for a few seconds. He positioned her to where her legs were on either side of his body and cradled her butt in his hands as he made her sit up on her knees. He scooted up a bit so his erection was between her legs then parted her folds with his fingers and thrust himself inside her. Haley let out a loud, hoarse cry as she braced her hands against his chest and bent her head, her eyes closed tight with pain. "Sh, relax," Lucas tried to soothe her by rubbing her back and kissing her in the crook of her neck. After several minutes of just lying there, Haley looked up to him and pressing her mouth against his, giving him permission to continue.

Lucas slowly pulled part of the way out only to push back in again, his gaze never faltering from her face. Haley then lifted her hips slightly and lowered them down onto him, causing him to groan and his eyes to close in ecstasy. They began to move more intimately at a pace a bit faster than before as their hot bodies, sticky with sweat, rubbed against each other. He leaned up and kissed her passionately, his tongue entering her mouth, darting in and out, then sucking on her tongue, her moaning in response. Lucas raised his hands up from her hips and entwined his fingers with hers as they rocked back and forth…

------------------------------------

Afterwards, Haley clutched the covers tightly to her chest as she stared wide-eyed up at the ceiling. "I can't believe we just did that…" Haley whispered quietly. "I know," Lucas responded in the same tone; he too was staring up at the ceiling. "This was bad, real bad…" she replied dazedly. "I didn't think it was THAT bad," he replied. Haley started yelling at him in a low voice, "I was talking about us… doing it. We made a HUGE mistake…" "It wasn't a mistake, Hales," he said, running a hand along her arm. Haley abruptly moved away and stood, pulling the bedspread with her to cover herself, shouting now, "Yes it was! We-we just got caught up in the moment and-and the point is, what do we do now? Where do we go from here? We just can't go back to the way things were." Lucas got up from the bed too and went to stand in front of her, "W-w-wait… What are you saying?" She moved away from him again, but still faced him, "I need space… us, staying so close, spending so much time together, just confuses things for me right now."

He looked at her with a concerned, almost scared expression, "Whoa, whoa. What about us?" She was screaming at him by now, her cheeks flushed in anger, and maybe a little in embarrassment or shame at what they had done, "There is no us! Don't you get it? We can't be doing this! We shouldn't have done this! I'm dating someone Lucas, god, I'm dating your brother! I-I just can't be around you right now. Please go." "But Hales," Lucas began to protest. "Go," she says coldly and when he doesn't move, she screams at him, "Get out of here! I don't want to see you!" "What about Krissy," he asked suddenly. She crossed her arms over her chest and clenched her jaw. She hadn't thought about that. Krissy would undoubtedly want to spend time with Lucas. "I'll schedule some time where she can come visit with you. Now go," she responded icily then gathered up his clothes and pushed him out her bedroom door.

Once Haley heard the slam of the front door to her house, Haley ran to the bathroom and collapsed by the toilet, purging the contents of her stomach. At this, she finally got a whiff of the distinctive smell of vodka that someone at the dance must have spiked the punch with and began to throw up again. After a few minutes, she leaned back against the wall as she thought about what had just transpired in her bedroom. She began to cry and loud sobs emitted from her throat. What had she done?


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! I'm sorry it took so long to update, I had a couple of projects to get done for school then had a little writer's block with how I wanted this chapter to go. I really hope you all like this chapter. It's a little long so I hope it makes up for the long wait! So without further ado, here's Chapter 4! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – I bought the One Tree Hill soundtrack today and it is ROCKIN' AWESOME! I totally love the Tyler Hilton Joie Lenz duet of 'When the Stars Go Blue'.

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 4**

It had been nearly two weeks since the night of the dance and neither Haley nor Lucas had even said a word to each other since. Lucas figured he would be better off if he gave her some time to cool off and let her come to him when she was ready. Now Haley was a different story. With each passing day, she felt even more guiltier than the last. Don't get her wrong, she had loved their night together, it had been somewhat of a dream come true, but she hated the way and how it had happened. They had been drunk and when drunk, you do things that you normally wouldn't do. She had let her innermost desires take over her and rule her body to its discretion. She'd had sex with Lucas; she'd lost her virginity to her best friend.

Now she just felt dirty. She had gone against her morals and became a stereotype she had sworn she would never become: A cheater. She had promised herself that she would never be that kind of person, but here she was. With the guilt and shame hanging over her, she had eaten very little and slept even less. She had do something; something to clear her mind of her heavy conscience.

She was so confused by everything. What had Lucas meant when he'd said that their sleeping together hadn't been a mistake. Did that mean he had feelings for her too? What had he meant when he'd said 'What about us'? Did he want them to be an 'us'? She didn't know what to think or do. She was trapped inside her own prison.

Music had always been an outlet for her, whether she was playing, singing, or listening to it. So to try and relieve her mind of its baggage, if only for a short amount of time, she turned on the radio. Immediately the sounds of an upbeat pop song came on and she turned it loud until it was pumping and booming through the speakers. It was an angsty song and it mirrored her life for the past two weeks and how she felt. She closed her eyes as she listened to it, tears forming as her silent cries soon turned into loud gut-wrenching sobs. She was lying on her bed, once staring dazedly up at the ceiling but she now turned over, clutching a pillow to her face.

_Seems like just yesterday  
You were a part of me  
I used to stand so tall  
I used to be so strong  
Your arms around me tight  
Everything, it felt so right  
Unbreakable, like nothin' could go wrong  
Now I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hanging on _

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

I told you everything  
Opened up and let you in  
You made me feel alright  
For once in my life  
Now all that's left of me  
Is what I pretend to be  
So together, but so broken up inside  
'Cause I can't breathe  
No, I can't sleep  
I'm barely hangin' on

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Swallow me then spit me out  
For hating you, I blame myself  
Seeing you it kills me now  
No, I don't cry on the outside  
Anymore...

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Here I am, once again  
I'm torn into pieces  
Can't deny it, can't pretend  
Just thought you were the one  
Broken up, deep inside  
But you won't get to see the tears I cry  
Behind these hazel eyes

Her life had been hard ever since she was little, when her parents had left her. She had blamed herself for her parents leaving her alone all the time, and even though she knew better now, Lucas had made her feel wanted and loved. She felt whole when he wrapped her in a warm embrace, but she didn't have that now and it was all her fault. She was the one to blame. She had unwillingly divulged and displayed her deepest feelings and desires to the one person who had always been there for her. The one person who was her world, but could break her world too.

What if she told him of her feelings and he didn't reciprocate those feelings? She might lose him then, but hadn't she already lost him? But this time it was of her own accord; next time, if she told him, it would be of his. She was scared of losing him, losing him forever. He was so much a part of her life; he made her who she was. She didn't even remember who she was before Lucas Scott. He was so much a part of Krissy's life too; he was the only father she had ever known. Krissy had been missing Lucas these past two weeks and recently started throwing tantrums, screaming and jumping up and down, wanting to see her daddy. But Haley wasn't even ready to see him, much less talk to him right now. Haley sighed and clutched Mr. Waffles to her chest, her eyes becoming heavy with lack of sleep and shed tears. She turned down the music then curled up with her knees close to her chest as she drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Haley woke feeling a little less tired, but still weighed down by the guilt she carried and she feared that it would never leave her, haunt her forever. Her thoughts then turned to Nathan. She had been avoiding him too, but not as much as she had been with Lucas, so as not to raise suspicion that anything was wrong. Haley knew that Nathan sensed something was bothering her and he'd called her on it a few times, but she'd brushed it off, saying that she was worried about a test or something going on with Krissy.

She felt pressure behind her eyes as she thought of betraying Nathan; how horrible she was to have done that to her boyfriend. She shook her head, trying to rid it of the image of Nathan's trusting face and his loving blue-green eyes. She needed to do something to clear her mind. Krissy was at afternoon daycare so she was free to do anything she wanted. She slid from the bed and put on a pair of tennis shoes then threw on a light jacket before grabbing her keys and heading out the door.

She wandered around town aimlessly for awhile as she stared at the trees with their new leaves and the flowers with their budding blossoms. Birds chirped and flittered around in pairs high into the sky. Spring was definitely here. She stopped for a moment as she passed by the rivercourt, finding it empty. A basketball lay under the picnic table and she slowly walked over, picking it up and bouncing it a few times. She lined it up for a shot and launched it from her hands. Haley waited on baited breath as the ball rolled around the rim a few times before finally falling through the net. She was about to shout and jump in excitement, for she rarely made a basket, but the happy feeling quickly dissipated. She had no one to share it with and the one person she did want to, was far from her. Haley slumped onto the picnic table as she covered her face with her hands, her playing basketball reminding her of Lucas.

Suddenly, she stood and took off running. She didn't know where she was going, just running, far from the rivercourt and far from the memories of Lucas. Her breaths came out in heavy puffs as the world passed by her in a blur. She was only focused on the fast pulsing sound of her heart and the path that lay before her.

Several minutes later, she found herself standing on the sidewalk by the driveway of her boyfriend's house. She was panting heavily, not used to the strenuous exercise, and leaning over with her hands on her knees. She stayed in that position a few more moments as she regained air and her became slow and steady, her heart also slowing to its normal rhythmic beat. She looked up to Nathan's house and became nervous of what she was about to do.

Her run had cleared some things up for her and she knew what she had to do. So Haley closed her hands into fists and squared her shoulders then walked up the steps to the door. She felt herself shaking slightly and knew it was not solely from her nervousness. She was scared. It was no secret that Nathan Scott had a temper. Sure, he was usually sweet around her, but at times she would say or do something to upset him. He would get this dark look in his eyes, his normally blue-green iris' turning to almost a dark jade green or black. He had even once grabbed her arm fiercely in a tight grip when she had tried to leave after an argument. It had caused a large bruise on her lower forearm that lasted for nearly two and a half weeks. Lucas had noticed it and asked her about it, but she had just told him that she'd run into a sharp corner of the counter in the dark one night, not wanting to wake Krissy, to get a glass of warm milk to help her sleep.

A shiver ran through her as she raised her hand to knock and a feeling a dread struck her heart. She paused a moment then finally hit her hand against the door a few times. He finally answered the door a few minutes later and when he saw who it was, he smiled and leaned in to kiss her. "Hey babe. To what do I owe the honor of your presence," he asked with a wry grin. She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled at him but it quickly faded to a frown as she replied, "Can we talk?" "Sure," he responded as he stepped out of the house and sat on the bench beside the driveway then gestured for her to sit beside him.

"Um, well, I know I've been kind of distant lately and I'm sorry about that. I've just been really confused about some things and with Krissy acting up all the time… and having to watch her, and worrying about college…" Haley started, but Nathan interrupted her. He rubbed her back comfortingly and she flinched, but thankfully he didn't notice, "You'll get in to any college you want. You're such a great student, Hales. You get straight A's all the time. Any college would be insane to not let you in." Haley began again, taking a deep breath to steady her voice, "What I'm trying to say is that I need some time alone, without you, to figure things out." "Okay, I'll give you some space. How long will it take," Nathan asked. Haley snorted and slowly shook her head from side to side, not believing he had just said that; "You don't get it, Nathan. I can't be your girlfriend right now. And amid all this chaos going on in my life, I've found that I don't know who I am anymore. I can't be someone's girlfriend when I don't even know who I am, Nathan. I need time to find myself. Maybe in the future we can get back together, but for now, I need time."

"So you're breaking up with me," he asked, his eyes wide and disbelieving. He had never been dumped by a girl before; it was usually him doing the dumping. She nodded solemnly and looked down at her hands folded in her lap, "I'm really sorry Nathan." Haley started to stand but he grabbed her arm, this time more fiercely than he had last time, and yanked her to him. "You can't break up with me," he said in a low, cold growl, flames flickering in his now black eyes. Haley's body shuddered as tears welled in her eyes and her face contorted in pain. "Nathan, please let me go," Haley said weakly, her voice shaky with fright, as she tried to pull her arm away. "No," he replied in the same tone, beginning to pull her towards his house.

Haley began to try and tug her arm away from his grasp at the realization of where this was going. "Please Nathan…" Haley begged of him, terror settling in her heart. "Let her go Nathan," the voice of an angel, her savior, spoke in a stern tone and Haley turned to see who it was. It was Peyton, Nathan's ex-girlfriend, standing there with a furious look in her eyes and her hands on her hips. They didn't really know each other; Peyton was the popular cheerleader and she was just a tutor. They had only talked very little, briefly in passing, when she would go congratulate Luke on his basketball games. At the sight of his ex-girlfriend, Nathan's grip loosened a little and Haley fought for escape and succeeded. She yanked her arm away and started to run but he grabbed her again then slapped her face, "You don't run away from me!" Haley's body was thrown back when Nathan's body lurched backward from Peyton punching him in the face. "You bitch," he shouted, spitting blood from his mouth.

In his rage at Peyton, Nathan had forgotten about Haley and she ran from him. Peyton said to her, "Get in my car Haley." She quickly obeyed and from the car, she heard Peyton yelling at Nathan, "You stay away from her! If you don't, there's more where that came from." She pointed to his face where she had hit him. He stared at her angrily as she turned from him and walked to her car, his jaw clenched and breathing heavily.

After they had gotten away from Nathan's house, Peyton asked softly to Haley, who was huddled up with her knees curled tight to her chest and her body shaking uncontrollably, "Are you okay?" She glanced worriedly between Haley and the road, waiting for a response. Haley slowly nodded and lifted her head up, "T-Thank you. I-I don't know what I would've done if he…" Haley couldn't bring herself to say the words. "How long has he been hitting you," Peyton inquired. "He's only hit me once. Today was the first time, but he's grabbed my arm before," she responded then asked as she looked up at her with tear-filled eyes, "did he ever hit you?" Peyton nodded, "That's one of the reasons why I left him." Haley remembered one of the times they had talked and replied, "That's why you warned me about him, didn't you?" "Yeah," she answered. "Can you please take me home," Haley asked shakily. Peyton nodded and soon they were in front of Haley's house. "Are you going to be alright," she inquired as Haley got out of the car. "Yeah. Thanks again for everything. I'll see you at school," Haley gave Peyton a small smile before turning and walking into her house.

Later on that night around nine, after Haley had picked Kris up from daycare around six, she lay on her bed, thinking back on the day. A soft knock was heard and she turned to see her sister standing by the door. "What do you want Kris," Haley asked as she turned her head away. "Will you come read to me, Mommy," the little girl inquired, slowly walking up to the edge of the bed. Haley sighed, "Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes sweetie." "Yay," Krissy replied excitedly as she ran from the room. Haley's thoughts turned to Nathan and what he had done to her then Lucas and all her guilt came flooding back. She began to weep softly as she covered her face with her hands and curled up into the fetal position. "Mommy," Kris poked her head into Haley's room again and hearing her crying, she approached the bed again, "What's wrong Haley?"

Haley sat up then slid to the floor in front of Krissy and opened her arms for her to enter, "Come here sweetie." She wrapped her arms tightly around the little girl, "I love you so much baby, I hope you know that." Haley kissed each cheek and stroked her hair. Kris nodded and wrapped her small arms around her sister's neck, calling her by her old nickname, "I love you too, Hay-Hay." Krissy had called her that when she was younger and couldn't fully form Haley's name. Haley pulled away and gave her a small smile, "You know what, I'm going to call Daddy and see if you can visit him tonight. I bet he would love to have a sleepover with you." Krissy's eyes widened in excitement as she began to jump up an down. "You go pack a bag okay? I'll come help you in a minute after I call Daddy." "Okay," Kris replied as she quickly left the room and ran down the hall to her own room.

Haley stared at the phone for several minutes before picking it up and reluctantly dialing the number to Luke's house. On the fourth ring, he answered, "Hello?" Her breath caught in her throat and she tried to take a deep, calm breath before responding, "Hey, um, it's me." The other side was silent as it took a few moments for Lucas to realize who was calling him. "Oh, uh, hey," Lucas responded awkwardly, not having talked to her for over two weeks. "Listen, um, can you take Kris tonight? She really misses you and I have some things to do… Meet me at the rivercourt in twenty minutes?" "Yeah," he replied. "Bye," she said quickly before hanging up, leaving no time for him to respond.

Haley and Krissy were the first to arrive and Haley waited with her arms crossed, not liking at having to face Lucas so soon, but she needed to be alone and Lucas was the only one that could take care of her. He showed up a few minutes later and as soon as Krissy spotted him, she ran over to him, "Daddy!" He swooped her up into the air and spun her around then kissed her all over her face, "Hey baby, I missed you so much." "I missed you too Daddy," she replied. He hugged her then set her down and slowly raised his gaze to Haley, who was staring at the ground. He looked back to Krissy and said, "Kris, why don't you go play on the jungle gym for a little bit, I have to talk to Mommy." She ran off and both of the teenagers stood silent for a few moments until Haley handed Krissy's bag to Lucas, "Here, there's some toys and clothes and stuff. You shouldn't need anything else, but if you do, give me a call." "I will," he replied. That awkward silence fell over them again. Lucas then slowly stepped toward her and pulled her in for a hug then kissed her forehead, "I missed you."

Haley roughly pushed him away from her and backed away, "Don't touch me!" She continued to back up and tripped over the edge of the concrete of the basketball court, falling to the ground. "Are you okay," he asks worriedly as he extended a hand out to help her. She took it and when their hands touched she felt a spark travel through her body. "I'm fine," she responds tersely, dusting off her clothes. She walks over to the playground where Kris is building a sand castle and calls to her. She runs over and hugs her as Haley replies, "It's time for Mommy to go, Kris." She leans down and hugs Krissy back then kissed her cheek, "Be a good girl for Daddy, okay? I love you sweetie, so much." Haley kissed her again then stands back up, saying to Lucas without looking in his eyes, "Take good care of her for me. Goodbye Lucas." Before he can say anything, she runs off.

Later on at Luke's house, Krissy is lying on Luke's bed crying when he comes in from the living room and sees her then sits on the bed beside her and rubs her back, "What's wrong baby?" She looks up at him with tear-filled eyes, "I'm sad." "Why," he asked concernedly. "Because I miss Mommy and Mommy is sad too. She's been crying a lot and she doesn't play with me much. She locks herself in her room or she'll send me to daycare. I don't like daycare anymore. I don't get to see you or Mommy anymore," she begins to cry harder. Lucas gathers her in his arms and strokes her hair then kisses the top of her head, "Sh… it's okay sweetie. I'll talk to Mommy in the morning about spending more time with you. Maybe I could take you home with me after school sometimes." Krissy's face brightened at this information, "Yeah!" He stood with her in his arms and pats her back, "Come on, Squirt, it's past your bed time. Let's get you dressed for bed."

As soon as Haley left the rivercourt, she rushed home and ran into her bedroom, flinging herself onto her bed as she sobbed. An hour or two later, around eleven, she was still crying, angry with herself. She looked up and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her face scrunched in anger; she hated herself. She stood and picked up her glass from her nightstand and fiercely threw it at the mirror, shattering it to pieces. She picked up two medium-sized shards of glass and as she remembered Lucas and their interaction at the rivercourt, she clutched them tightly in her hands until blood seeped through her fingers and dripped down her hands. She had let him get to her again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm finally back with Chapter 5! Sorry for such a long wait! To make up for it though it's a pretty long chapter. For those of you who read my other story, In the Presence of an Angel, I'm trying to update that one as quick as I can. I've have some busy things going on in my life like college stuff, orientations, finals for some of my classes. I will try to update ITPOAA as soon as I can. Anyways, this chapter has LOTS of drama! I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – OMG! This week's episode was REALLY great, but it SOOOO pissed me off! Lucas has HCM and he's moving in with Dan? Haley left? Keith's getting married to Jules! Gah! And poor Karen! Everyone's leaving her! First Keith, now Lucas! And did you all see the previews for next week about Nathan? I just gotta say, watch out for him! Okay done ranting, for now.

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 5**

The next morning around six a.m. at Lucas' house, Krissy woke up, startled and crying from a nightmare. She tried to shake Lucas awake, "Daddy wake up! Daddy, Daddy! Please wake up!" Lucas rolled over, careful not to crush her as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "What's the matter sweetie?" Krissy responded with a terrified look in her eyes, "Something's wrong with Mommy! Mommy's gone!" He rubbed her back to comfort her, "No she's not baby. Mommy's back at home. She didn't spend the night here like she usually does." Kris shook her head vigorously from side to side in protest. "No! That's not what I mean," she touches her heart with one of her small index fingers, "She's not here anymore. I can't feel her."

Lucas became alarmed at her words and he placed his hands on the sides of her arms, "Kris, what happened last night? Was Mommy sad then too? What did she say to you?" Krissy nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks in waterfalls, "Mommy was crying a lot and she came over and kissed me a lot, all over my face. She said that she loved me over and over again. Then she said that I was going to go visit you." As Krissy talked, Lucas' eyes grew wider as he pieced together what Krissy was saying and what Haley had said last night, _'Take good care of her for me. Goodbye Lucas…'_

He quickly stood from the bed, "Stay here, okay? I'll be right back." He rushed to his mother's bedroom and swings the door open as he shouts, "Mom!" He was too worried about Haley to even give a thought to the sight of his mother and Keith in bed together. Thankfully though, they were covered. "Lucas," Karen screeched, pulling the covers tighter over herself as she awoke to his screaming. "Mom, I need you to watch Kris for awhile. I have to go do something." He didn't want to worry his mother until he knew for sure something really was wrong. "Sure honey, but would you get out of my bedroom? And knock next time, would you please," she yelled as he retreated from the room and closed the door behind him.

Lucas went back into his room, where Krissy was still lying on the bed, clutching her stuffed dog tightly in her arms as she continued to cry. "Kris sweetie, I want you to stay here with Grandma Karen, okay?" She nodded solemnly then looked up at him with a confused expression on her face, "But what about Mommy?" He stroked her hair as he replied, "I'm sure Mommy is fine. I'll see you in a little while, okay?" Krissy nodded and he kissed her cheek before grabbing his jacket and running out of the house.

On his way to Haley's house, he dialed her number but received no answer. He became even more worried as he sped through the streets. Lucas arrived at her house and raced up her front steps, jiggling the handle of the door but finding it locked. He dug through his pockets and realized that in his haste, he'd forgotten his other set of keys, of which it contained his key to Haley's house. He also tried the back door but that was locked as well. He went back to the front of the house and searched for a way in. Her bedroom window was closed and locked so he couldn't get in that way. He found a large rock and threw it at one of the windows on the first floor then carefully cleared the glass and climbed in.

Lucas ran to her bedroom and swung the door open. He gasped sharply at the sight before him. Haley was on the floor with blood around her as she lay amidst broken glass. She was a sickly pale white and her lips had a light blue tint to them. He rushed to her side and placed his fingers against her neck, trying to feel for a pulse. He finally found it after several minutes. It was weak and slow, barely even there. Lucas quickly called an ambulance then cradled her head in his lap. He gently slapped her face, pleading with her as hot tears cascaded down his cheeks, "Hales baby, please wake up! Open those brown eyes I love so much…" He broke out into more sobs, "Please sweetie…" He stroked her cheek and flinched at how cold she felt. He carefully picked her up and laid her on the bed, covering her with the blankets. Lucas noticed that on her back, her shirt was torn in some places, small cuts on her skin from falling on the glass. He then ran to the bathroom and soaked some towels in hot water then draped them over her body. While he waited for the paramedics to arrive, he rocked back and forth with his arms wrapped tightly around his legs, quietly praying over and over, "Please God, don't let her die. Please, don't let her die…"

Lucas paced the waiting room of the hospital feverishly, both worried and confused. He was worried about Haley; she had felt so cold, as if she were seconds away from death coming and taking her away from him forever. He was confused and angry at Haley too. How could she try to do that to herself? How could she try to commit suicide? He had seen the large, deep cuts in her hands and knew that it was not from just cleaning up the broken glass alone; she had to have cut herself intentionally.

He was interrupted by the doctor entering and clearing her throat to get Lucas' attention. Lucas turned to face her and saw that she was young for a doctor, probably not even older then twenty-eight. She extended her hand and he took it, "Hello Mr. Scott, my name is Dr. Lockhart and I am treating your friend, Haley." "Lucas, please," he replied as he nodded for her to continue. "Ms. James has lost a lot of blood and she needs a transfusion quickly. The only problem is that she has a rare blood type, AB Negative. We have a low supply, not enough to give her, and the Blood Bank hasn't sent any over to us yet. Do you know anybody in her family that has that blood type?" "I'm not blood related to her, but I do have AB Negative blood type. Would I be able to give her my blood," he asked, hope sparking within him.

Haley's parents were out of the question and Lucas wouldn't subject Krissy to that kind of operation at so young an age even if she were the same blood type. "Yes, it should work, but we have to test it first for a match. If it matches, then we can go ahead and do the transfusion. Please come with me and I'll get a sample of your blood to test," Dr. Lockhart replied, leading him to a small lab room. She took a little of his blood and told him with a smile, "I will be back in a few minutes with the results. All these new-fangled machines and technological advancements allow us to get our results back faster which helps us treat our patients quicker." The doctor came back, it seemed, as soon as she had left. She smiled at him again, "You're a match. Let's get you ready for the procedure. We need to work as quickly as possible."

She led him to a hospital room and opened the door, gesturing for him to step inside. He set one foot inside the room and stopped short. Haley lay on a bed on the right side of the room, her frail body looking so small and weak. If it were possible, she appeared even more whiter than he had last seen her, but her lips had lost their blue color, which was a good sign. Her hands were bandaged and some cuts on her arms had been cleaned and band-aids put on as well.

Another bed was positioned next to hers and the doctor motioned for him to lie down. He slid on and scooted to the top of the bed and leaned back as he looked over to Haley. Dr. Lockhart rolled up his left sleeve, tied the rubber tourniquet around his upper arm then prepared him for the transfusion before doing the same to Haley. She then connected a tube to Lucas and Haley, connecting them together, and opened the tube vents to allow Lucas' blood to flow into Haley. Lucas grabbed Haley's hand in his own as tears fell down his face. He stared at her throughout the whole procedure, his thumb rubbing small circles over the back of her hand and softly stroking her hair with his free arm. "I love you Hales," he whispered.

After the transfusion, Dr. Lockhart replied, "I will need to put you on IV fluids to help your blood circulate and recover from the procedure. You will only need it for an hour or two, so it is best you get some sleep during that time. I will come check on you and Ms. James periodically to make sure everything is alright." He asked slowly, gazing at Haley for a moment before turning his attention back to the older woman, "How bad is she?" "Like I said before, she lost of blood from the gashes on her hands and she has some minor cuts on her back as well as one or two on her arms. That's pretty much the extent of her injuries. It is a good thing you got her here when you did. Any longer and she might not have survived," she explained solemnly. Lucas choked up at her words and his body began to shake. The doctor then replied, "As her doctor, I have a duty to call a psych consult on all attempted suicides and to call a social worker whenever injuries have been inflicted on a minor, no matter whether it was the person themselves or someone else. Do you have a number where I can reach her parents?"

He shook his head, "Her parents are out of town for awhile, but my mom is practically her mother. And Haley and I are together almost two-thirds of every day, except for lately. We uh, we've been kind of busy with school and extracurricular activities and work so we haven't seen that much of each other the past two weeks." "Well, I will need to speak with your mother. What is her name," she asked, pulling out a writing pad and pen. "Karen Roe. I will call her, I haven't told her what happened to Haley yet, so she's probably worried about me because I haven't come home." She nodded and brought a phone over to his bed then quietly left the room.

He dialed his home number and waited for his mother to pick up. "Hello," Karen's voice came over the line. "Hey Mom, it's me." "Lucas, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you and Krissy's been hysterical ever since you left, saying some things about Haley like she wasn't here anymore and that she couldn't feel her. She won't stop crying…" Karen replied. Screaming could be heard in the background. "Mom, I'm at the hospital with Haley… she-she tried to kill herself…" he choked up again. Karen gasped, "Oh my god…" "Mom, I need you to come down here. The doctor wants to ask you some questions since we can't get a hold of Haley's parents and you're practically her mother anyway. Can you leave Krissy with Keith for a little bit? I don't want her down here." "I'm sorry honey, but Keith already left for work. I'll have to bring her with me. Maybe they can put her in the family room or the children's play room," Karen suggested. "Okay, I'll ask. Please get down here fast." "I'm on my way sweetie. I'll be there soon," she replied.

Lucas was allowed to stand and walk around for a little bit, but he was still hooked to an IV bag that went around with him on a rolling stand. He waited in the lobby for his mother and Krissy and they arrived half an hour later. As soon as Krissy spotted him, she let go of Karen's hand and bolted for him, "Daddy!" "Careful baby," he responded as he gently picked her up, mindful of the IV line in his arm. "Daddy, you're hurt," Krissy stated when she saw it. "I'm okay sweetie," he stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. "Luke, why are you hooked up to an IV? You didn't get hurt, did you," Karen asked concernedly. He shook his head no and mouthed to her so Krissy wouldn't hear, "I'll tell you later." The doctor approached them and extended her hand out to Karen, "Hello Ms. Roe, I'm Dr. Lockhart. Would you come with me for a few minutes please? We have some questions about Haley." Karen nodded then Lucas spoke up, "Could you show me to the family room or a play room where I can take her? I don't want her to see Haley right now." He pointed to the little girl in his arms, who had laid her head against his chest. "Certainly, right this way," she led them to a room filled with two couches, a table, and off to the side was a little kids center with toys and dolls, puzzles and games, and a small kiddie table and chairs.

"Daddy, where's Mommy," Krissy asked, lifting her head and looking up at him with watery eyes. He hugged her tightly and rubbed her back, gently pressing her head into his chest with his hand at the back of her head, "Sh baby, Mommy's going to be okay sweetie." Her murmured into her ear for a few moments then set her down and she went over to play with some of the toys. "Your daughter is so cute. How old is she," Dr. Lockhart asked, smiling as she gazed at the little girl. "She's three and a half years old, but Krissy isn't my daughter, she's Haley's sister. Krissy just calls us mommy and daddy because we're the only real parents she's ever known. Her and Haley's parents aren't around much. Their jobs cause them to travel around a lot, but I'm usually with Haley and Krissy almost all day except for when we have school or work. There's a daycare program at our school that allows Krissy to be near us just in case an emergency happens. Haley works at my mom's café and Haley sometimes takes Krissy with her. Sometimes I'll take her to the auto shop with me, where I work for my uncle. She likes to sweep the garage and 'help' me with the paperwork. All three of us spend most of our weekends together too. We're like a family; Haley, Krissy, and I." He smiled as he looked back on all their memories together while he gazed lovingly at Krissy.

A few minutes later, Karen entered and the doctor left to give them some alone time. She hugged him, "I'm so sorry Luke." "I know Mom, I am too. I wish I had been there for her. Maybe I would have seen some signs to let me know that something was wrong or something like this would happen…" He began to sob as quietly as he could so Krissy wouldn't hear then responded in a choked up voice, "you should have seen her, Mom. She's so pale and weak… When I found her, she was surrounded in blood and she was as white as a sheet and her lips were blue… God Mom, I thought she was dead…" He buried his head in her chest and cried.

Half an hour passed and Lucas had finally calmed down a little bit. Karen still held him in her arms as she continually rubbed his back. "Why do you have that IV in your arm honey," she finally asked, stroking his head. "Haley lost a lot of blood so she needed a transfusion. She has a rare blood type, AB Negative, and so do I; so I gave her my blood. They put me on IV fluids to help replenish my blood supply and keep me hydrated," Lucas replied. She nodded and kissed his forehead, "You're such a good guy, Luke." He squeezed her hand, "Thanks Mom."

The doctor entered the room with a woman holding a clipboard by her side. She wore thick, black glasses with her hair up in a tight bun. She must have been forty or older. "Lucas, we need to speak with you. Could you come with us please," Dr. Lockhart gave him a small smile to try and ease his worries. He followed them into a small room with only a table and a few chairs. It resembled an interrogation room that he had seen many times on his favorite cop show, Law Order, more than anything. The doctor went to go check on Haley and some of her patients and he was left with this older woman who was making him feel very uncomfortable.

She gestured for him to sit in one of the chairs then sat in one across for him and placed one leg over her knee. "Lucas, my name is Leanne Carter and I'm a psychiatrist at this hospital. I would like to ask you a few questions about Haley, if that's alright with you," she replied and he nodded for her to continue, "Did you ever notice if Haley was feeling sad or depressed?" Lucas shook his head and looked down at his hands, which lay clasped on the table, "No. Like I told Dr. Lockhart, Haley and I are usually really close and spend a lot of time together, but in the last two weeks we've been really busy with school, work, and extracurricular activities that we haven't really seen each other much. But Krissy did tell me that Haley had been crying a lot lately and locking herself in her room. So maybe she could have been depressed."

"Did you ever see or did she give you any signs of being sad or depressed before those two weeks," Leanne asked as she jotted down some notes on her clipboard. "No I didn't. She's usually always happy and very spirited," he responded. "Did Haley ever have bouts of sadness and crying spells before just recently, like months or years ago? It helps us determine if she's been depressed before." "Well of course she has, but not more than any normal teenager," he answered. "Okay, that is all the questions I have about Haley, but now I would like to talk about you. How did you feel when you discovered Haley at her house?" Lucas shuddered at her words, the scene playing in his mind; finding her on the floor, unconscious with blood surrounding her, pale, and cold. He then responded unsteadily, "I-I thought she was dead; I was devastated. Then I found a pulse and called the ambulance. I was beside myself with worry and I was confused of why she would try to commit suicide. It's not like her to think about that sort of thing, much less act on it."

"Okay, that is all the questions I have at this moment. Now I must go talk to Krissy," she stood and he did as well. "You're going to ask her about Haley's suicide attempt? She doesn't even know what happened. She's three years old for Christ sakes," he yelled in disbelief. She raised her hand in front of her, "Calm down Lucas. We're just going to ask her a few questions, similar to yours, in a children's tongue so that she understands. You can be in the room with us if you would like." He nodded, "Thank you."

They walked into the family room where Krissy was coloring at a small coffee table on the floor by one of the couches. "Daddy! When do I get to see Mommy? I want to see her," Kris screamed as she abandoned her crayons and ran to him. He picked her up and set her on his lap after he had sat on the couch, "Not for a while baby. I know you want to see Haley, but first this nice lady wants to ask you some questions, okay sweetie?" "Okay," she responded quietly. "Hi Krissy, my name is Leanne Carter, you can call me Leanne. I have to ask you some things about Haley. Please try to answer them as best you can alright," the woman smiled at her. "I'll try," she replied. "Krissy, has Haley been sad lately," Leanne asked. Krissy nodded in response, "Yeah. She locks herself in her room sometimes and I can hear her crying. At night too, when she thinks I'm asleep." She then turned to Lucas, "I'm sorry Daddy. I know I'm not supposed to stay up late without you or Mommy's permission, but I can't sleep. I'm scared about Mommy; she's never been so sad before." He wrapped his arms around her small body, "It's okay Kris." Leanne inquired, "Has Haley been sad before, like before she and Lucas stopped spending so much time together?" "No, she used to be so happy and play with me all the time, with Luke too. Now she just stays in her room and cries. She doesn't play with me a lot anymore," Krissy responded sadly, a few tears marring her baby face.

"Okay, one more question Krissy, then we're done okay?" The little girl nodded, "Okay." "Did Haley ever hurt you," she asked. Lucas abruptly stood with Krissy in his arms, shouting in a loud voice, "That was out of line!" "I'm sorry Lucas, but we have to ask and she must answer the question. We have to make sure Haley will not endanger anyone else." "Haley would never hurt Kris," he yelled. "She has to answer it herself, Lucas," the older woman stated firmly. Lucas looked down at Krissy, "Tell her baby. Has Haley ever hurt you?" Her eyes widened and she gasped, "No! Mommy would never hurt me. She loves me. Sometimes she yells at me but it's because I don't listen to her. She's never ever hurt me." Leanne smiled at her, "Thank you Krissy. You were a very good girl. Would you like a sucker?" Krissy nodded and the woman pulled one from her coat pocket, handing it to her. "Thank you," she replied as she took it from her. "You're very welcome sweetie." Lucas set the little girl down and she ran back to the table, resuming her coloring. "Can you go get my mom, please? I need her to watch Kris," Lucas asked then whispered to her, "I want to see Haley." "Yes, I will go get her," she responded.

Hours later, Lucas rested in a chair at Haley's bedside. She still had not awakened yet. Since he had gotten no sleep because of the psychiatrist's interview, Dr. Lockhart had required that he keep the IV for a couple more hours. After talking with Leanne Carter, Lucas wept for what seemed like hours. He had begun to think that Haley's attempt at committing suicide had been all his fault. She wouldn't be here, in the hospital, if they hadn't created an animosity between them and they wouldn't have been avoiding each other if they hadn't slept together.

He had slept only a little, dozing off a couple times while waiting for Haley to rouse. He was slumped down in the chair, his head near the top of the backrest and his legs extending far out onto the floor because he was so tall. He held his head up with his right arm, the one that didn't have the IV in it, as his eyes began to droop closed again. Suddenly, her heard a faint moan and a hoarse voice, "Where am I?" He stood and gently took her hand in his as she slowly opened her eyes. "You're at the hospital Hales," Lucas responded softly. "Why… oh," she asked confusedly then pulled her hand away from his as she remembered what had happened. She saw him hooked up to the IV and asked, forgetting temporarily of their animosity, "What's wrong? How did you get hurt?" "You lost a lot of blood and I have the same type, so I gave you my blood," he responded, then replied quietly, tears forming in his eyes again, his voice desperate, "why'd you do it, Hales? Why'd you try to kill yourself…" He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as he tried to force the thought of Haley dying far from his mind.

"What? I didn't try to kill myself," Haley asked confusedly, wondering how he had come to that conclusion. "You were nearly dead when I found you Hales! You didn't see your body lying on the floor covered in blood, white as snow and turning blue! You didn't see all the cuts on your back from falling on the glass! You didn't have to soak towels in hot water and lay them over you just to try and keep your body warm! You didn't have to put the towels that I cleaned you up with, soaked in blood, into the washer! You didn't have sit there and hold you as your best friend nearly died in your arms!" He was panting heavily now from his outburst.

She covered her face with her bandaged hands, beginning to cry, "I'm sorry Luke, but I didn't try to kill myself." "Then what in the hell were you doing," he screamed, slamming his hands down on the edge of the bed and staring at her angrily. "I-I don't know. I was just so angry, at you and at myself. I threw a glass at my mirror and it broke. I went to pick up some of the pieces and, I don't know, something just came over me and I closed my hands tightly over them, gripping them until blood flowed between my fingers. It was like I couldn't stop from holding them in my hands. After a while, I tried to stop the bleeding on my hands but it wouldn't. Then I felt weak and I guess I fainted," she responded quietly, now staring down at her hands. "You really scared me Hales. If it weren't for Krissy, you'd probably be dead right now…" "What! What do you mean if it weren't for Krissy," she shouted in shock. "I guess since you guys are so close, you have this sixth sense or special connection with each other. She woke me up this morning and told me that you were gone. I thought she meant from the house and I told her that you hadn't slept over at the house last night like you usually do, but then she said that she couldn't feel you anymore. That's when I got scared. Kris told me that you'd been crying a lot and locking yourself in your room. Then I remembered what you had said last night at the rivercourt. You told me to take good care of Kris then you said goodbye. So I raced over to your house but it was locked so I threw a rock through the window. I ran up to your room and that's where I found you."

At a thought, Haley started, sitting up slightly, "If you're here then where's Kris?" "She's with my mom in the family room," Lucas replied. "You brought her here," Haley shouted incredulously, her eyes wide. "No, my mom did. They wanted her to come in so they could ask her some questions and no one else could watch her. I didn't want her to come, but we had no choice. Don't worry though, she hasn't seen you yet. I wanted to wait until you were awake." "Dammit Lucas," Haley screamed, "you are such an idiot! You shouldn't have brought her here! They could take Krissy away from me! Didn't you think of that? They could take her away from me because I'm under eighteen and we live alone with no adult supervision! How could you be so stupid!" He yelled back, "I told you we had no choice! Would you rather we left her home alone to fend for herself for hours while we were here? Yeah, that would have went real well with the social worker, Hales. She would've had someone at my house within three minutes to take her and we'd be slapped with child endangerment charges!"

She folded her arms across her chest and replied with a firm voice and angry expression, "I want to see Kris." "No," Lucas responded. Haley's eyes widened, surprised at his denying her request, then shouted, "She is _my_ sister! Now let me see her!" "I'm not going to let you see her, especially not when you're acting this way. Maybe if you calm down I might let you see her, but not now," he replied in a strong tone then grabbed his IV stand and left the room without another word.

An hour and a half later, Lucas reentered the room, now unhooked from his IV. "Are you calmed down now," he asked. "Does it look like it," Haley responded in a disgruntled tone. "Maybe I'll come see you when you're in a better mood," Lucas responded as he started to walk out. "Lucas wait," Haley began as she sighed. He turned around and looked at her expectantly. "T-Thank you for saving me," she replied quietly, avoiding his gaze. He wasn't sure where they stood now, and he didn't think it was the right time to confess his love to her, so he walked over to her and simply squeezed her hand, responding in a light joking tone, "Couldn't let you die, Hales. I'm older than you so it's only fair that I go first. He gave her a small, slightly crooked grin and she too gave him a smile as she chuckled, "Only by four months Lucas." "That's a long four months Hales. That's about a hundred and twenty days," he answered. Haley shook her head, "No, you forgot about February. There's only twenty-eight days except in a leap year, then there's twenty-nine."

Haley yawned and Lucas asked, "Are you tired? I'll let you get some more sleep. Oh, and I called Nathan to let him know you were at the hospital…" Haley cut him off, abruptly sitting up with her eyes nearly bulging out of her sockets, "YOU DID WHAT?" "I called-" he started. "I heard you the first time! Why in the hell did you call him? I don't want to see him." Her face was turning red with anger and she was trying to curl her hands into fists but couldn't because of the bandages. "Haley, as much as I don't like the guy, he's still your boyfriend and he deserves to see you," Lucas replied. "I don't want to see him," she yelled. "Why," he asked, thinking of any reason why she wouldn't want him there at the hospital with her. "I just don't want to see him," Haley responded still with an angry expression, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You've gotta give me a better reason than that Hales. Come on, tell me what's going on." "What's going on," Haley repeated loudly in disbelief then glared at him as she went on, "or don't you remember what happened two weeks ago?" "That's not all of the truth, Hales, and you know it. I can see it in your eyes," Lucas responded as he pointed to her face.

She continued to glare at him intensely, anger burning in her eyes, for several long moments before her eyes softened a little and her shoulders sank as she sighed. "I broke up with him, okay?" Lucas inquired with his brows furrowed, "Why?" She responded softly, avoiding his imploring eyes, "Because he-he hit me…" His eyes grew large as the information sunk in. "What," he asked in a quiet voice, "Hales, how long has this been happening?" "N-Not long, only about two months or so," she replied meekly. "Two months! Two months, Hales," Lucas shouted as he flung his arms out in frustration, "that's almost as long as you've been dating him! Wait… that time you had that big bruise on your arm and you told me you'd walked into the kitchen counter…" She nodded and closed her eyes, a tear on each cheek slowly rolling down her face.

He moved to her side, gently cupping her cheek and wiping them away with his thumb, "Oh Hales…" She felt herself begin to succumb to his tender touch and she pressed her cheek into his hand, but only for a moment, before she realized what she was doing and pulled away. She looked everywhere but at him, her eyes darting every which way as if she were searching for an escape. "How many times has he hurt you," Lucas asked with a low growl, his fists and jaw clenched. "Um, about ten or twelve times I guess. Mostly he just grabbed my arm and left bruises because his grip was so hard, but he's hit me twice before. Once about a month ago, and yesterday he slapped me when I broke up with him. He was so mad… he grabbed my arm and he-he was pulling me towards his house…" Lucas interrupted, his eyes bulged wide with shock, "He d-didn't rape you, did he?" She shook her head no as a choked sob escaped her lips, "No, but I was so scared that he was going to… then Peyton showed up… she-she punched Nathan and we got away…" Lucas' nostrils flared with anger and his chest heaved with fast, labored breaths and fire flickering in his blue eyes, "I'm going to kill him."

At that moment, as if he knew they were speaking about him, Nathan rushed in to Haley's bedside and leaned down to kiss her, "Haley baby, thank god you're alright. I came as soon as Lucas called…" Before he had a chance to kiss her, Lucas raced forward and roughly pulled him away by his shirt. He then grabbed Nathan by the throat and slammed him against the wall. "DON'T YOU TOUCH HER," he screamed. "Lucas," Haley exclaimed with shock. Lucas then said to Nathan in a low, menacing growl, his eyes filled with raging flames, "I swear as long as I live, you will never lay another hand, not even a finger, on her ever again. Now get out of here, I don't ever want to see you near her again or you can bet you'll be dead by my bare hands." All while Lucas talked, he still choked Nathan as his brother tried to squirm from his tight grasp around his throat. Now he finally let go and Nathan fell to the floor on his knees, gasping for air. After several minutes, he finally stood and, giving a glare to both Lucas and Haley, he left without a word.

"Lucas, you could've gotten hurt," Haley replied crossly with a hint of concern in her voice. "Nah, nobody can touch this," Lucas joked as he gestured to his body. "Sure, like Billy Johnson didn't practically plow you over during that football game against Orangewood," she laughed. "That was seventh grade Hales," He responded. "I know, but it was so funny though. He nearly made a grass angel out of you. I swear you were lying on the ground two or three inches below the surface," she laughed. "That was the first game of the season, I didn't have any muscles back then like I do now," he grinned as he flexed an arm. "What, those puny things," she joked. "Hey," he exclaimed in protest.

Suddenly, the door opened and a police officer entered. Both became scared, hoping he wasn't here to take Krissy away. "Lucas Scott," he asked. "Yes," Lucas replied. He pulled out a pair of cuffs and grabbed his arm, closing one of them over his wrist then the other, "Lucas Scott, you are under arrest for breaking and entering. You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you…" Haley interrupted, yelling, "He didn't do anything!" "Ma'am, he broke into a house. That's against the law so I have to arrest him and take him down to the precinct." "Yeah, he broke into a house, MY house. I was lying unconscious on the floor, nearly dead, and if he hadn't broken into my house, I wouldn't be here right now! So un-cuff him right now," she screamed. Karen entered with wide eyes at seeing the police officer in Haley's hospital room, "What's going on here?" The officer turned to her as he took the handcuffs off of Lucas, "Sorry ma'am, it was just a misunderstanding." He turned to Haley and Lucas, who was rubbing his wrists, and gave them a curt nod before leaving.

"Well that was rude," Haley replied. "Why was he arresting you," Karen asked her son. "Haley's house was locked when I went there so I threw a rock in a window to get in. I guess one of the neighbors saw and reported me," he responded the asked concernedly, "where's Kris? You didn't leave her in the family room alone did you?" "Of course not Lucas. One of the nurses on break is in there with her. God, you're such a parent," she laughed. "You're always worrying with a kid around," he grinned. "Don't I know it," she smiled as she ruffled his hair.

Lucas heard a noise and turned to Haley, noticing for the first time that she had moved to lay on her side, facing away from them, with her hands covering her face as she sobbed quietly. What Haley had said to the police officer had finally sunk in and she realized the seriousness of what could have happened. She could have died. If she had died, she wouldn't have Krissy or Lucas anymore, and Karen too. Krissy wouldn't have a sister, a mother. Lucas wouldn't have his best friend. Karen wouldn't have a daughter.

She choked on a sob and Lucas gathered her in his arms, "Sh Hales, you're okay… you're going to be alright…" "T-Thank you for saving me," she whispered into his ear then lightly kissed the cartilage on edge of his ear. Lucas felt a tingling sensation spread through his body at this act and he hugged her tighter. "Can I see Kris now," she asked as she sniffled and pulled away. He nodded and wiped a few tears from her cheek with his thumb, "You have to stop crying first. I don't want Kris to see you upset. She's already worried enough." After a few minutes, she finally calmed down and Lucas went to go get Krissy.

He returned holding Krissy in his arms and gently lowered her onto the bed beside Haley. She wrapped her small arms around Haley's neck as best she could and laid her head on her chest. "You really scared me, Hay-Hay," she began to cry. "I know, I'm sorry sweetie," Haley replied as she stroked Krissy's hair and kissed the top of her head. "Your hands, what happened to them," she asked at seeing the bandages. "They're okay baby. I just cut them on some glass, that's all." She inquired, "Do they hurt?" "Only a little bit," Haley replied then took one of Krissy's hands, pressed their palms together, and entwined her fingers with Krissy's small ones, "I love you Kris. I love you so much." She then hugged Krissy tight to her chest as she cried while she rubbed the little girl's back and kissed along the crown of her forehead. "I love you too Haley. Don't cry," she responded, touching Haley's cheek where some tears had fallen. "Let's just lie her for a little while baby," she murmured as she leaned back and closed her eyes, resting the child's head on her shoulder.

An hour and a half later, after Lucas came back from having something to eat in the cafeteria on Karen's orders. He gently shook Haley awake after carefully lifting a sleeping Krissy off of her. "Hales, I'm going to take Kris home; it's getting late. I'll come see you tomorrow, okay," He leaned down to kiss her forehead but she moved her head away. "Don't," she said quietly. He looked at her concernedly, "What's wrong?" "Lucas, I appreciate everything you did for me and I can't ever thank you enough for saving my life, but I still need time and space away from you. I don't know who I am anymore Lucas, and I have to be myself before I can be anything else right now. I need to do some deep soul searching right now and nobody can help me with this. I have to do this on my own. So please, stay away from me. I want you to take care of Krissy for me for a little while. I'll call you when I'm ready for her to come home. Now please go," she turned away from him. He stood there for a minute or two with a shocked and hurt expression on his face at her words. Then he carefully picked Krissy up and cradled her in his arms as he walked out of the hospital room, out of Haley's life.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm finally back with another chapter of The Sweetest Sin! Sorry it's taken so long to update, but I've been studying my little butt of for finals in some of my classes. We have this long-ass research project then two five-paragraph essays that have to be like 3-4 pages long. Grr! I hate school! I can't wait until I graduate in May, but then I'll be off to college. sigh Anyways, this is a pretty long chapter and I've already started on Chapter 7 so that will probably be out by this coming weekend, roughly. A new chapter of ITPOAA will be posted soon as well, I'm almost done with that chapter and that one is going to be long too. Well, enough of my rambling, here's Chapter 6! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **R, just as a warning, for content. You will see why later on.

P.S. – **I AM GOING TO THE ONE TREE HILL CONCERT TOUR! YAY!** Too bad Gavin won't be performing there, but I CAN'T WAIT to see Joie perform! I also can't wait to hear Tyler Hilton and Joie perform 'When the Stars Go Blue' live. The concert is gonna be ROCKIN' AWESOME! Is anybody else going?

The Sweetest Sin 

**Chapter 6**

Lucas sat at the picnic table beside the rivercourt, rolling the ball between his hands, staring at it with dull, lifeless eyes. They hadn't spoken in two or three months, or who knows how long. He'd lost count. His life as he knew it was over. Basketball had always been an escape for him but also helped him sort through his problems. Now even basketball did not offer the comfort or solace it used to. He had been miserable ever since he walked out of that hospital room. So miserable, that it had been affecting his schoolwork and performance on the team. He hadn't been playing up to his usual par; throwing half-assed shots, missing baskets, and forcefully passing balls to his other teammates. He'd even gotten into some fights too, but the thing that really did it for him was when he really laid into Whitey one day after missing a couple of baskets that he normally would have made with ease and style. Whitey suspended him, telling him that he needed to clean up his act and to get out the bug that had crawled up his behind. He hadn't played on the team for six weeks. His schoolwork had taken a turn for the worse too, him not really caring to attempt it and not participating in class. He had also turned into one of those bad boy party guys. He'd go to a party to get wasted and make out with other girls, sometimes they'd go up to an empty bedroom, but there was never any clothing removal or sex, just groping and kissing. Lucas felt he would be betraying Haley if he went further with any other girl.

Even though they hadn't spoken since that day in the hospital room, Haley would occasionally leave a note in his locker, saying that she needed him to watch Krissy for the night or that Krissy wanted to see him. She never offered to bring Krissy over, instead leaving him to pick the little girl up from daycare. It pained him that things had gotten so bad between them that they had to resort to being like a divorced or separated couple and sharing custody of a child that was moved between homes often. He could see that even the separation had taken a toll on Krissy too. She had become sad and quiet, not her usual cheery, perky self. When she stayed with him, he sometimes asked her how Haley was doing. She would respond in an emotionless monotone voice, saying that Haley very rarely came out of her room and played or spent time with her, that she cried at night. He got the same response every time, but he kept hoping that one day she would tell him something better.

He'd seen Haley at school in the hallways, but only got glimpses of her, because she would turn away and head down a different hallway to her classes. She always looked so tired and worn out, bags under her eyes, her eyes red from crying, clothes sometimes mismatched and wrinkled. He hated himself for what they had done, he never wanted this, their animosity, to happen and it was killing him to be far from her, not included in on her life. It was easy to avoid each other since they didn't have any classes together and because they were seniors, they got out early so they didn't have a lunch period together. Haley had quit working at the café to avoid Karen and running into Lucas. The first few weeks of her and Lucas' animosity, Karen would often try to convince her, and Lucas the same, to talk to each other and work their problems out, but Karen didn't know just how big the problem was. She didn't know that Haley had slept with her son. She still felt so guilty for what she had done.

Lucas sighed and stood from the bench, tucking the basketball under his arm and making his way home. He hadn't had a visit from Krissy in two weeks; he missed his little girl. Sometimes he would stop at the daycare center at the school in between classes, in the morning, or after school got out before he left, but he feared going in there and seeing Haley. What would she do, what would she say, if she saw him? Would she run? Would she be hostile? Would she say anything at all? He sighed again as he entered his bedroom, the pictures of him and Haley throughout the years on his mirror, his wall, his desk, everywhere, were there staring back at him, haunting him. They seemed to be pointing fingers at him and glaring at him with their perfect glossy eyes, saying, "You did this. You caused this to happen. It's all your fault." He threw himself on his bed, facing the ceiling as he shut his eyes tightly and covered his face with his hands.

A few minutes later a soft knock sounded on his bedroom door. "What," he called out in irritation. He wished everyone would just leave him alone. That is, except for Haley. He wanted his Haley back, his best friend. Karen slowly entered the fast darkening room with the sun setting below the horizon behind closed curtains and saw her son lying on his bed. "Luke, you should go wash up. Dinner's almost ready," she said firmly. She had noticed that he hadn't been eating much and had lost some weight. Lucas rolled over, his back facing his mother, and replied, "I'm not hungry." "Luke, you have to eat…" Karen responded worriedly but was cut off by her son shouting, "I'm not hungry, okay? Just-just go away please." His voice got softer near the end and she could here the desperation in his voice. She sighed in defeat and stared back at him sadly as she placed her hand on the doorknob and closed the bedroom door behind her.

In the middle of the night, Lucas bolted upright in a cold sweat and panting heavily with wide eyes. He'd had that dream again. The one where he was taken back to the day he found Haley lying on the floor covered in blood, pale white, cold, and turning blue. He'd raced to her side and felt for a pulse for several long minutes, but this time there wasn't one. Haley was dead. He'd been having this dream ever since that day. Sometimes he would get it every night or one or two nights a week, but it never stayed away from his mind for long, even in his waking hours. He wiped at the tears falling from his eyes with the back of his arm and ran his hands through his hair as he inhaled a shaky, ragged breath. He stood from the bed and carefully made his way down the dark hallway to the kitchen. He made a cup of hot chocolate and held it between both hands as he sat at the table and bounced his legs absentmindedly. Lucas tried to get that image of her out of his mind, but he couldn't; it would haunt him forever. He finished off the warm drink then went back to bed and laid down as he stared up at the ceiling. He sighed again; he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

At school the next morning, Lucas was at his locker when a chill ran through him like a ghost putting a cold hand around your neck. He looked to his right and there she was. She was down at the far end of the hallway, walking with her head lowered and books clutched tightly to her chest. He longed for her to look at him, to walk over and hug him. He needed to know that she was alright, needed to get that horrible image of Haley dead erased from his mind. However, that didn't happen. She passed by without acknowledging him, probably not even noticing he was there by the deep crease in her forehead, signaling she was deep in thought, in her own little world. It was because of this state that Haley accidentally ran into someone, causing her books and binders to fall to the floor, papers spewing out. "I-I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking…" she blurted out as she went to pick up her belongings. "Watch where you're going," the tall, muscular football player shouted at her then trudged past to join his buddies, who were laughing at her. Tears welled in her eyes; she felt like she was the old 'Tutor Girl' again, the nerdy, unpopular, extremely shy girl she once was, and was now becoming again.

Lucas rushed over and bent down to help her pick up her books and papers. "They're jerks, you know. Don't pay any attention to them," a soft voice said beside her and she looked up for the first time, noticing that Lucas was beside her. She let out a strangled squeak as her eyes widened then quickly gathered up the rest of her things before glaring at him and running away, "I guess I shouldn't pay any attention to you then, huh? 'Cause you're a jerk. A really, really big…jerk…" "Hales…" he started then sighed. It was useless to follow after her; she was already gone.

Later that afternoon at school during changes between classes, Haley walked down the hallway in search of Lucas. She finally spotted him by a row of lockers, talking with a familiar, flirty brunette haired cheerleader. She approached him nervously, staring down at her feet, and fiddled with her hands in apprehension. Lucas saw her nearing him and straightened from his leaning stance against the lockers. Brooke immediately stopped talking to him when she saw that his attention was directed somewhere else. "Hi," Haley said softly to him, not meeting his eyes. "Come back to beat me down more," Lucas replied in a bitter tone. She flinched at his cold tone then responded quietly, "No." "Are you here to apologize," he asked with an angry expression on his face. "No," she replied in the same whispering voice as she clutched her books tighter to her body. "Then what the hell do you want from me," he shouted, flinging his arms out in frustration. Even Brooke was surprised; she had never seen Lucas yell at Haley like that.

Tears welled in her eyes at his yelling at her; she hated it when he yelled at her. She sucked in a deep breath and sniffled as she wiped her nose. "I um… I need to talk to you," she responded, tugging on his shirt sleeve then glanced at Brooke, "alone." He nodded and followed her into an empty classroom. His expression softened at her red cheeks and watery eyes; he hated making her cry. He wanted to caress her cheek with his hand and wipe away all the tears he had caused. "What is it Hales," he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to restrain the urge to touch her, "Is something wrong with Kris? Do you need me to watch her tonight?" "No," she said quietly again. "Then what do you need to talk to me about, Hales," he inquired confusedly, yet concernedly. A spark lit within him. Was it possible that she wanted to reconcile and be friends again?

Haley crossed her arms over her chest responding in a small whisper, "I um, I'm pregnant. I found out yesterday…" Lucas stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. His eyes bulged wide as he froze and stiffened up like a board. Never had he thought that this would come out of her mouth. He tried to say something, but he couldn't. It was like he was paralyzed with shock. Haley stood there uncomfortably for a few minutes, waiting for a response, but none came. So she turned and quietly slipped out of the classroom.

The rest of school went by in a daze for Lucas; he didn't even remember going to his classes. As soon as school was out he raced home and slammed his bedroom door behind him. Thankfully, his mother was at the café so he could be alone in peace to brood. Just like yesterday, he laid on his back on the bed, staring at the tiles on his ceiling. Two words kept running through his head, trying to sink in, but he still couldn't believe it. _'pregnant…baby…pregnant…baby…' _He was going to be a father at eighteen. A million thought were running through his mind and he was desperately trying to process it all. Well technically, he already was a father to Krissy, but this was his own child he was talking about here. His face brightened at a thought. Maybe this baby would bring them back together, but even more than before. Maybe they could be a couple, a real family. He smiled at the image he had painted in his head of them together; all four of them, Haley, himself, Krissy, and their baby. He smiled wider as he closed his eyes and let the wonderful image envelope him in warmth and happiness until he finally fell asleep. He would worry about everything else tomorrow.

The next day was Saturday so there was no school. After much thinking, Lucas decided that he needed to see Haley, to talk to her about everything that was going on. So he drove over to Haley's house and slowly walked up the front steps to her house. After a few minutes of hesitation, Lucas knocked softly on Haley's door, his mind racing with thoughts. The door opened slowly and Haley appeared halfway behind it, her eyes red and puffy from tears. "Hi," she said softly as she looked down, away from his piercing blue eyes. "Hales…" he began then paused for a moment, "we need to talk about this." She nodded silently and opened the door further to let him in. She sat on the couch and he settled into an armchair opposite her. He knew that if he sat next to her, he'd want to hold her and kiss her, comfort her, but he also knew that she didn't want that right now; she would just push him away if he tried. He found himself staring at her stomach and drifting off into a world where he and Haley were together and they had their baby; they were happy. Haley noticed Lucas' staring at her stomach and pulled her knees close to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. He looked away, knowing she had caught him.

He heard a pounding of little feet and for a moment he envisioned the future where a little toddler, a boy with blonde hair and blue eyes, or a girl with auburn hair and brown eyes, would come running into the room and he would scoop them up. "Daddy," Krissy called out excitedly as she reached him and held up her arms. He reveled in the name for a second because now it held so much more truth; he would be a father in six months and he would have his own child to take care of. "Hey sweetie," he kissed her cheek. He was about to say more, but Haley interrupted him, "Kris, go to your room." "But Daddy is here-" the little girl protested but she was cut off by Haley as well. "Kristina Summer James, go to your room NOW," Haley yelled as she pointed towards the hallway. Krissy looked at her for a moment with fat tears welling in her eyes before she ran sobbing from the room.

"Haley…" Lucas protested. "Don't," she said, putting a hand up and looking away from him. He got up and sat on the coffee table in front of her and gently took both of her hands in his. He pulled her forward a little so that her feet rested on the floor and their knees nearly touched. He slowly rubbed his thumbs over the back of her hands as he held them, "Haley, I want you to know that I'll be here for you, no matter what. You know I will. I will be here for you through everything…" He brought a hand up to softly caress her cheek, "I love you, and I already love this baby…" She abruptly pulled her hands away from his and moved away from him, curling into a corner of the couch. "Luke, I'm not ready to have this baby. I'm only seventeen… and I have Kris to think about… I can't raise her and a baby too…" "I'll help you, we're in this together. We have been ever since Kris was born…" He tried to take her hands again but she pulled away once more.

"I'm not ready to have this baby, Lucas," she stated again. He stood up angrily and started yelling, "So that's it then, huh? You're not even giving me a choice! You're going to go and get an abortion and kill our child just like that? Have you really even thought it through? I mean, you only found out two days ago for god sakes! I-I can't handle this, I'm out of here!" He began to leave when he heard the pounding of little feet again, "Daddy, wait! I wanna come with you! Please! Please, let me come with you!" She looked up at him with her sad, tear-filled brown eyes and he scooped her up, grabbing the small backpack she had with her. He sent one last glare to Haley before he walked out the door, cradling the crying girl in his arms.

The next day, Lucas had calmed down a little bit and thought about how Haley might be feeling and what she had gone through raising Kris the last three years. He finally understood where she was coming from, but he still wanted the baby.

His mom had the day off from the café and Deb was overseeing everything, so Lucas went to the living room where she was currently watching television. "Hey Mom? Can you watch Kris for a while? I need to talk to Haley about something and I can't have her around," Lucas explained. He hated keeping things from his mom, especially something this big, but he was afraid of how she would react and decided it would be better to tell her when he and Haley had talked things out and were certain about what they wanted to do. "Sure, where is she," Karen asked. "She's sleeping in my room for now, but when she wakes up, give her a little snack to eat; carrots, fruit, crackers, or something. I'll be back later. Tell her I love her and that I will be back soon when she wakes up." "I will," Karen responded as she patted him on the back.

Lucas entered Haley's house and ascended the stairs to her bedroom, where he knocked on the door before continuing on in. He found the room empty, but he saw a note lying on her bed. He rushed over and picked it up, reading through it worriedly.

_Dear Luke,_

_You were right; I hadn't thought things through. When I said that I wasn't ready to have the baby, I meant I was planning on putting it up for adoption. But after you left last night, I really thought about what you said and I decided that I couldn't go through the pregnancy and then give the baby up. So you are getting what you want; I'm having an abortion. Oh, and tell Kris that I'm sorry I yelled at her._

_Haley_

Lucas felt himself go weak in the knees as he collapsed to the floor in tears. "It's not what I want…" he whispered. He sobbed for several minutes before he decided that he would find her and tell her that he didn't want her to have an abortion. He knew that there was only one place in Tree Hill that you could get an abortion and that was at the Planned Parenthood clinic. How ironic was that? Most teenage pregnancies were unplanned and those deciding to have an abortion wouldn't experience parenthood anyway, at least until they were older, more mature, and financially stable. He only hoped that she was still there and had not yet gone through with it.

He raced to his destination in the truck as fast as he could, the whole time going nearly fifteen to twenty miles over the speed limit. As soon as he pulled into a space at the clinic he slammed on the brakes and put it into park, bringing the truck to a screeching halt and causing the it to lurch forward from the abrupt stop. He quickly jumped out of the cab and rushed into the clinic, wildly searching the waiting room for Haley. With no sign of her, he went up to the front desk and asked frantically, his eyes wide with fright and panting heavily, "Is Haley James here?" "I'm sorry sir, but all our patients are confidential," the secretary said. "Please ma'am. I need to know if she's here. Haley James is my girlfriend and she's supposed to be getting an abortion… Please, I need to see her…" he begged and pleaded with her, a desperate, pained, and lost look in his eyes. She gazed at him with sympathetic eyes for a moment, seeing that his hope was dying just a little more every second he couldn't see her. She sighed resignedly, "Okay, wait here and I'll see if she's in one of the exam rooms. Don't tell anyone that I did this; I could get fired from my job." "I won't," Lucas replied honestly before the woman left.

He impatiently tapped his foot while he waited for her return and she finally did a few minutes later. "I'm sorry sir, but you're too late. Miss James has already left." Lucas nearly collapsed again, and he would have if he hadn't been holding onto the counter of the front desk in a death-grip. "Thank you," he hoarsely whispered in reply before leaving the clinic. Lucas stumbled outside, gasping for air as giant sobs overtook his body. He tripped over the curb and fell to his knees on the street, rain beginning to pour down in torrential waterfalls. He clutched his head and rocked back and forth, crying for the loss of the son or daughter he would never know and the fact that he hadn't gotten there in time to save the life of his child.

A car honked at him then swerved out of the way, the driver shouting at him as he drove by, "Hey get out of the road you ass hole!" Lucas slowly dragged himself to his feet and walked over to the truck and got in. He sat there for several minutes as he watched the rain flow down his windshield and thought that the weather was exactly how he felt. He slowly began to drive home when he started to be overcome by rage. Rage by Haley killing their child, rage at himself for yelling at her and causing her to come to that horrible decision.

He pressed on the gas pedal harder and did something he had sworn he would never do after witnessing Peyton doing it and hearing that her mother had died nearly the same way; he raced through the red lights. What did he care? His life was over anyway. He couldn't be with Haley now, not after what she had done. When she had told him that she was pregnant, he had imagined a million happy moments of them together with their child, and with Krissy. Krissy. In his anger and despair, he had forgotten about the little girl.

Lucas slowed down considerably and stopped when the lights changed to red. He was still sobbing by the time he reached his house and soaked to the bone, his eyes and nose raw and red from crying. Lucas swayed weakly as he stumbled into the house through the kitchen door and headed to his room. Karen had been in the kitchen when he entered and concernedly followed him. She found her son lying face down on his bed, clutching one of his pillows as he continued to emit loud wails and whimpers.

Krissy darted by her and jumped up on the bed. "Daddy! You're back," she shouted, then noticed that he was crying, "Daddy, what's wrong?" Lucas only began to sob harder at the name she called him then opened his arms for her to enter, saying in a soft, choked up voice, "Come here baby." He hugged her tight to his chest for several minutes, never opening his eyes as he softly kissed the girl's forehead then all over her face.

Karen walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge, "Krissy, I need to talk to Luke for a little bit. Can you go watch television in the living room please?" The little girl nodded and obediently left. "Luke, what's wrong honey? Did you have a fight with Haley?" Lucas nodded with his head still buried in the pillow then turned his head to face her. "Mom…" he began with a shaky voice. He knew it was time to tell her and he wouldn't be able to keep it from her forever; the pain was just too much to bear all by himself. "Mom, Haley's p-pregnant with my child… but-but she got an abortion… and it's all my fault. She said she wasn't ready to have the baby and I thought she meant abortion and we got into a fight… and then I left with Kris… Last night I thought about how she must be feeling and what she went through raising Kris, and I could see where she was coming from. Then today I went over to her place to talk to her; she wasn't there but I found a note… and in it she said that I was getting what I wanted; she was having an abortion… but she couldn't have been farther from the truth, Mom. God, I wanted that baby so much… I know we're only eighteen, but we would have been prepared for the baby, I mean, we've taken care of Kris together since she was born… The baby wasn't even born yet and already I loved it… it's all my fault… if I hadn't gotten in a fight with her… I killed my own child, Mom, I killed my baby…"

Karen gathered her sobbing son in her arms and softly caressed the back of his head, running her hands through his hair, "Oh Luke…" She was at a loss of words to say to comfort her son as she was still in shock herself. "Mom, could you please leave me alone for awhile," he requested as he laid down again and turned his back to her. "Sure sweetie," she said quietly then retreated from the room.

As soon as she closed his door behind her, she leaned heavily against the wall and sank down to the floor, beginning to cry herself. She cried for what Lucas had gone through; the loss of a child would never leave him, and she cried for the loss of her grandchild, of which she hadn't known existed until a few moments ago.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with Chapter 7! Well, things have calmed down somewhat at school so I decided to get this chapter out. I think I did pretty well on my final and one of my essays, the other essay is next week. I hate writing essays! GRR! Anyways, here's Chapter 7! I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **R, for content.

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 7**

An hour later, Lucas finally exited his room and made his way to the kitchen, where he had thrown his jacket when he came home. Krissy was sitting at the table coloring and when she saw him she ran over to him, "Daddy!" He winced at the name as he picked her up. "I missed you," she said the placed her small hands, one on each cheek, and stared into his blue eyes, "you were crying. Are you okay now?" He looked away sadly but her hands remained where they were, "No, sweetie, I'm not." She kissed his nose then gave him a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek, "Better now?" He gave her a small smile to ease her worries and hugged her, "Yeah, I feel better. Thank you." "You're welcome, Daddy. I love you," she responded as she wrapped her small arms around his neck as best she could and laid her head against his chest. Lucas felt his throat choke up again and tears well in his eyes at her words. "I love you too Kris," he murmured into her hair.

Several minutes passed as he held the little girl then he set her back down in her chair and crouched down beside her, "Kris, I have to go out for a while. You be good for Grandma Karen, okay?" She nodded, "I always am." He ruffled her hair then kissed her forehead, "I know you are. I'll see you later sweetie." He grabbed his jacket then his car keys and left as Krissy stared sadly after him. She sensed that he was still sad despite what he had told her.

It was still raining from earlier when Lucas arrived at Haley's house, but it had lightened only a little. He noticed that her car wasn't there so he decided to sit on the porch steps and wait for her.

He had waited nearly over an hour when he finally saw Haley's car pull into the driveway. He watched as she stepped out and slowly made her way towards him, never meeting his eyes. Lucas stood and walked down the steps, meeting her at the bottom. He stared intently at her, his anger and rage returning at the thought of her killing their child, a child that he had wanted. Haley finally gathered the courage to look up at him and saw fire burning in his blue eyes. She looked down again and began to cry, knowing she had hurt him greatly. She knew about Dan asking Karen to get an abortion when she was pregnant with Lucas and how much it hurt him to know that his own father hadn't even wanted him to live. Lucas wanted to be a good father, but now he wouldn't know just how good of a father he could be.

The rain started to come down harder as Haley's cries deepened. She tried to hug him but he pushed her away as his angry stare intensified. "How could you do it, Haley? You knew I wanted the baby! How could you kill our child," he yelled furiously, flinging his arms out in frustration. "I'm sorry…" she sobbed, but was cut off by Lucas. "You're sorry? You're sorry! You knew I wanted the baby and yet you went against my wishes anyway! Just to let you know, I hate you for doing this to me, to our baby! I will never forgive you for what you have done!"

He began to walk away from her and she started to sob harder as she ran after him, "Luke, please…" He abruptly turned around, "Please what? Please forgive you? I won't do it, Haley. Killing an innocent child before it is even born is unforgivable to me. You killed our child, Haley, and now both of us have to live with it the rest of our lives. You think about that, Haley."

He glared at her angrily for a moment and as he turned away again, she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry… I couldn't do it, Luke. I couldn't go through with the abortion…" He pulled away from her, searching her eyes intently, hoping to find truth in them. "What," he asked in a hoarse whisper. "I didn't have the abortion Luke, I'm still pregnant," she said back quietly. He stared at her silently, the fire in his eyes being covered by smoky clouds. "But-but I went to the clinic and-and you had already left…" his voice was weak, desperate. She nodded, "I went and got the exam and everything, but I couldn't do it… When I wrote that note… I was angry and upset from the fight and even though I wrote that I had thought things through, I really hadn't… While I was waiting in that exam room for the doctor to come in, all I wanted was for you to hold me in your arms, kiss me, and tell me everything would be alright. That we would get through this. Then I thought about Kris and how we raised her together from almost the day she was born. It was then I realized that we would be able to handle this; raising a baby of our own. I'm sorry, I-I was just scared and we're only teenagers… the thought of raising two kids when we're still kids ourselves… that scares me Luke. What if we don't do a good job? What if we aren't good parents?" She looked up at him, searching his eyes for answers.

He gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "We will do a good job and we will be good parents. We already are; Kris can attest to that." He then finally wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her tight to him, pressing his cheek to her forehead, "Everything will be alright… We're going to get through this together…" She cried as she clung onto him then slowly she pulled away from him. She smiled through her tears and gently took his hand, placing it on her stomach, "We're going to have a baby, Luke." He fell to his knees and hugged her around the waist, his face pressed into her abdomen as he too began to cry. He placed one hand on her stomach again and began to rub slowly through the material of her shirt, "I thought I'd lost you, baby… I love you so much…" She let him cry for a few more minutes before she slowly pulled him up to face her again. Haley brought a hand up to tenderly caress his cheek as she stared into his blue eyes, "I love you Luke, I have always loved you, and I love this baby… It's what I've always wanted…a family… with you."

She kissed him then, softly, passionately for a few seconds before they parted. She saw the desire in his eyes before he leaned in and captured her lips hungrily. She gently pushed him away, "No Luke, I want to take this slow okay? I don't want to rush things." "It's kind of late for that, don't you think," he gave her a light smirk as he glanced down to her stomach. She laughed and he pulled her in, placing a tender kiss on her lips, still holding all the desire and love that she had found in his eyes moments ago. They both slowly started to deepen the kiss, their tongues sliding into each other's mouths and dancing with the other's. Both parted for air and Lucas pressed his forehead against hers, placing another chaste kiss on her lips. "Come on, let's get you inside. I don't want you getting sick," he murmured in her ear.

He wrapped one arm around her waist as he led her inside and up to her bedroom. "You should change too, you're soaked," she stated as she took in his wet clothes. "None of your clothes fit me," he replied as he took off his shirt and wrung it out in the bathroom sink. Haley bit her bottom lip nervously at seeing his bare chest and toned muscles. "Are you checking me out Miss James," he asked coyly, "like what you see?" She stuttered in reply, "N-no I wasn't… oh what the hell, so what if I was?" "It's okay, you're the only girl who can look and touch me now. All the other girls will die from trying to keep their hands off me. I'm a big star you know; everybody wants a piece of this," he smiled cockily as he gestured to his body.

She placed her hands on her hips and smiled, "You have an ego too big for your own good, you know that?" "Yep, and proud of it," he responded with a smile. She just shook her head with a crooked grin on her face and she placed her hands on his chest, rubbing them over his muscles. He pulled her close to him, "But since all the girls are off limits to touching me, the guys should be off limits to touching you; especiallyyou, because you're carrying my child. I'm the only one who can touch you now. You're mine and I'm not ever letting you go." He began to run his hands up and down the sides of her body before he slowly brought them up to cup her breasts. She abruptly moved away, crossing her arms under her breasts and he looked at her concernedly, "I'm sorry, that was too fast…"

She sighed, "No Luke, it wasn't. They're just sore. You know, the whole producing-milk-while-you're-pregnant-so-you-can-feed-the-baby-after-its-born thing." He smirked, "Yeah, but it's not called that, it's called breastfeeding, or lactation." She looked at him quizzically for a few minutes, wondering how he had known that. "What," he asked, "I learned it when we took Child Development together to help us with Krissy. I do pay attention where it counts for something." She smiled warmly at him and he cocked his head to the side, looking down at her chest, "They do look bigger." She slapped him on the shoulder, "Lucas!" "What? I can look," he responded. "You can look but you can't touch, these are for the baby," she replied, pointing to her breasts. "Why not," he pouted then smirked, "I wouldn't mind having a round at the breakfast bar once in a while." An appalled expression appeared on her face and she punched him in the chest, "Luke!" He laughed at her reaction, "What? I get free reign of them until after the baby is born," he responded with a cocky grin. She placed her hands on her hips again, "Not if I have anything to say about it, and I do." "We'll see about that," he said as he grabbed her and pulled her onto the bed, then hovered over her. He kissed her all over her face as he tickled her and she tried to squirm from his grasp.

He stopped a few minutes later, the love and desire burning in his eyes again. She looked up at him innocently, her brown eyes disclosing the same feelings. "I promise I won't hurt you," he whispered, gazing into her eyes. She nodded her consent and responded quietly, "Be gentle." "I will," he replied. He then slowly began to peel off her wet shirt and tossed it to the floor. His hands wrapped around her back and fumbled with the clasp of her bra for a few seconds before he finally got it undone. With painstaking slowness, he slid the straps of her bra down her shoulders as if he were opening a present he had waited for all his life; and in a way, he was.

Feeling self-conscious, Haley covered her chest with her arms, but Lucas gently pulled them away, "You're beautiful, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." He leaned in and softly pressed his lips to hers. He then moved his head down and lightly placed a kiss on the top of each breast. He looked at her in askance, waiting for permission to go further. She nodded and he gently took one in his mouth. She gasped and Lucas immediately let go, gazing at her worriedly, "Did I hurt you?" She shook her head and smiled before placing her hands behind his head and bringing his lips to her breast again. His mouth enclosed on it once more and his tongue slowly began to swirl around her nipple before tenderly suckling it. Haley moaned and arched her back in pleasure, pushing into him. Lucas groaned at the contact and he started to suck a little harder. Haley's breaths became quick as she ran her hands up and down his back and kissed along the crown of his forehead.

He started in on her other breast when Haley began to fumble with the button and zipper of his pants. "Luke, I need you," she whispered hoarsely, her yearning near ready to burst. "Are you sure? What about the baby," he asked concernedly. She nodded in response, "The doctor said it was okay." Haley finally got the button and zipper undone and slipped her hand inside, groping and caressing him through the material of his boxers, "Please, Luke, I need you…" He smirked and wiggled his hips, moving himself against her hand, "Getting a little frisky tonight, aren't we Miss James?" She blushed and pulled him in for a kiss, whispering in his ear, "You better get those pants off or I'll have to get rough with you."

Lucas laughed; he was surprised how Haley's whole demeanor had changed. She usually wasn't flirty or seductive, always self-conscious about her body. "Ooh, me likey. What do I have to do for you to get rough with me?" "Keep acting like this and I'll have to get out my whip," she replied as she blew warm breath into his ear, causing a shiver to course down his spine. "I've been a naughty boy…" he smiled as he began to make a trail of kisses from her lips to her jaw then down her neck to where he started to suck at her collarbone, a sensitive spot for her that he had found the first time they had made love the night of the Spring Fling dance. Haley laughed as Lucas pulled the covers over them…

Afterwards, lying in bed while their breathing returned to normal, they reveled in their lovemaking. "Wow, so much for taking it slow," Haley replied, a little dazed. Lucas lay with his head nestled between her breasts, tenderly stroking her belly and placing light kisses all over her stomach every few minutes. His eyes were half closed in contentment and had a lazy smile on his face as he mumbled something incoherent in response. "You just had to kiss me, didn't you? You started all this," she prodded him jokingly. Lucas propped his head up on her abdomen and scoffed with a disbelieving expression on his face, "Me? I started this? I don't think so Miss James. You kissed me first. You initiated everything." "Yeah, well did you have to look so damn hot and sexy standing there with your shirt off?" "Always," he replied with a smirk. "But just for me and only me, right," she asked as a soft smile graced her features. "Damn straight," he replied with a nod. "Don't curse, our baby could be listening," she responded, her smile widening as she placed a hand on her stomach. "I'm sorry baby," he kissed her belly then the back of Haley's hand.

"Have you thought of any names yet," she inquired, stroking his hair, running his blonde locks through her fingers. Lucas chuckled, "Only about a million. The day you told me you were pregnant, I snuck Mom's baby name book from the attic and I also went online to all the baby name sites. There are some pretty weird ones out there." "So which ones have you considered," she asked interestedly. "Well first of all, there's always the good old-fashioned favorites, Haley or Lucas Jr.," he stated with a wry grin. "No, I will not name our child after either of us. I want our child to have an original name. Something like… Bethany, or Sophia." "Hales, those are both girls' names, what if we have a boy?" "Well, you think of some. It's your baby too," she smiled and after thinking for a moment, she replied, "How about Michael Lucas Scott? That way he will still have your name, but as a middle name?" "We could call him Mikey!" Lucas exclaimed then raised his hands and pulled them away from each other as if envisioning a television screen, "I can just see it now, Life with Mikey!" Haley laughed at this, "Okay, so maybe we'll put that one on the backburner but still keep it on the table. What else?"

"I still like the name Michael and I really like the name Braden so how about Braden Michael," Lucas suggested. "Hmm, Braden Michael Scott… It does have a nice ring to it," Haley mused as she thought about it, "I like it. I think we have our boy name. Now, how about girls?" "I do like the name Sophia," Lucas responded. Haley added, "And I would like to name the baby after your mom if it's a girl. She's been such a prominent figure in my life and played a huge part in raising me all these years. How about Sophia Karen Scott?" He lifted his head and softly brushed his lips against hers, "I love it, but we didn't think of something…" "What," she asked, confused. "What if we have twins? Like two girls or two boys, not a boy and a girl," he inquired. "Don't you even think about it, mister. I am NOT having twins. No sir," she wiggled her index finger in his face. "Just trying to keep all the bases covered," he smirked back at her then said sarcastically, "you know us Scott men; we can be pretty fertile."

He sighed happily and laid his head back on her abdomen, placing a soft kiss on her belly and tenderly rubbing it a few turns, "So, we have our baby names; Braden Michael and Sophia Karen." "Yeah," Haley replied dreamily as she thought ahead to six months in the future. "When are we going to tell Krissy," Lucas asked. "Probably when I start showing, I guess," she responded after some thought. He rubbed her stomach again and smiled, "You already are." Haley propped herself up on her elbows and glared at him, "Lucas Scott, are you calling me fat?" _'She's already having mood swings and there's still six months left,' _he thought to himself as he looked to the ceiling, _'God help me.' _"No, I think you're beautiful. No one can ever amount to you. You're it for me, Hales. It's always been you and always will be. I love you so much Haley," Lucas said as he stared deeply into her brown doe eyes. She pulled him in for a passionate kiss and when they parted, she smiled with tears in her eyes, "Good answer. No, amazing answer; the best one I've ever had."

They were kissing again when Lucas quickly pulled away with a horrified expression on his face, "Oh god, Krissy! And my mom! They're both probably wondering where I am…" He stood from the bed and began to get dressed, "I have to leave for a little bit. God, my mom's probably so worried about me after earlier…" "What Luke? What about earlier," she asked concernedly, standing from the bed and walking over to him. He turned to her with clouded, pain-filled eyes, "After I went to the clinic, I came home and went to my room; I was crying still from when I had left the clinic. Mom came in to see me and I just broke down, I couldn't handle it all by myself anymore. I told her everything; that you were pregnant with my child, and that you'd gotten an abortion because I thought you had…" He began to cry lightly as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Sh, sh, it's alright…" she rubbed his back to comfort him, then took his hand and placed it on her stomach, "our baby is right here, Luke, and our baby is safe. I will do everything in my power to protect our baby, while he or she is inside me and after our son or daughter is born." He nodded silently and he pulled away from her then stroked her hair and kissed her on the lips. "I'll be back in a little while," he responded then rested his forehead against hers, "I love you." She placed her hand at the back of his head and stared into his blue eyes for several moments. "I love you too," she replied, stroking his cheek, "Bring our daughter home, Luke." He smiled and squeezed her lightly around the waist before grabbing his keys and heading out the door.

Lucas entered his house and Karen, hearing the door, rushed to him with worried, frantic eyes, "Oh my god, Lucas, are you okay? Where have you been? I was so worried about you!" She searched him for any sign that he was hurt, but found none. Lucas placed his hands on his mother's shoulders to try and calm her, "Mom, I'm okay. I was at Haley's house." "You weren't trying to make me into a grandma again, were you," she joked, feeling relieved that her son was alright. "No, you already are a grandma; to Krissy, and now the new baby. She didn't get an abortion Mom… She's having the baby, we're having the baby. I've never been so happy in my life, Mom, never…" he hugged her tightly to his body, crying into her neck. She hugged him back, stroking his head, offering him silent comfort. "I know it's going to be hard, but we're ready, I know we are. We've gone through the same thing with Kris, so we know what to expect," he replied. "Oh just you wait. You have no idea what to expect during pregnancy. There's morning sickness, hormones, mood swings, cravings, not to mention the complaining…" He raised his hands to stop her, "I know, I learned all that in the Child Development class I took with Hales when Krissy was a baby." "You still have no idea what you're in for," she smiled as she patted his shoulder.

"Daddy," Krissy questioned as she appeared from the hallway. "Hey sweetie," he bent down on one knee and opened his arms, "come here." She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek, "I missed you Daddy." "I missed you too Kris," he hugged her tight. "You're happy now," Krissy stated as she pulled away and looked at him. "I am, very happy," he smiled at her and ruffled her light brown locks of hair. "Then I'm happy too," she responded. "Good," he said then patted her back, "now go get your things together, okay? We're going home to see Mommy." Krissy's cheerful demeanor quickly changed and a frown formed on her face as she looked down at her feet, "I don't wanna see Mommy, she yelled at me." "I know sweetie, but Mommy's sorry. She wants to see you," Lucas tried to coax the little girl. She shook her head no and Lucas' heart broke at the scared look in her eyes. "Come on, baby, do it for me? Please?" "O-Okay Daddy," Krissy replied hesitantly in a shaky voice.

He kissed her forehead then set her down on the ground. "Go get your stuff sweetie," he replied then turned to his mom, "I'm going to stay with Haley tonight. We still have a lot of things to work out…" "I understand, go on ahead. She can't get any more pregnant, right," she joked with a wide smile. "Not that I know of, but nothing's going to happen. We're just going to sleep together… okay, that didn't come out right. You know what I mean, right," he asked a little confusedly. She nodded and hugged him, "Do me a favor?" "What," he inquired. "Tell Haley to come back to the café. I really miss her and we need her there. She's irreplaceable; you tell her that." He grinned, "I will." Krissy then came from his room carrying her backpack and stuffed dog as she tried to pull on her coat. "Let me help you with that," Lucas kneeled down on the floor again and gestured her over. He helped her zip up her coat then picked her up and said goodbye to his mom. "I'll see you tomorrow morning. We might come in for breakfast at the café," he kissed her cheek. "Okay, see you in the morning. Bye Kris," she stroked the girl's head and kissed her temple. "Bye grandma," Krissy waved to her as they walked out of the house.

Haley waited patiently on the couch in the living room for Lucas to return with Krissy. However, she was nervous inside. She had never yelled at Krissy like that before and feared that the little girl hated her for it. Suddenly the front door opened and Lucas came in, leading Krissy by the hand. Haley rubbed her thighs to try and calm her nerves then quickly stood and walked a few steps forward, stopping three feet from Lucas and Krissy. Lucas let go of her hand and Krissy stared down at her feet, not meeting Haley's eyes. Haley sank down to her knees, her eyes beginning to water at the fact that her own sister was afraid to come near her or talk to her. She held out her arms with a pleading look in her eyes, "I'm so sorry baby, please come here." There was a second of hesitation before Krissy ran into her sister's arms and began to cry too.

Haley hugged her tight for several long, indeterminable minutes and relished in the feel of the little girl in her arms again. "I love you so much Kris. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm so sorry," she whispered into her hair. "I didn't mean to make you mad, Mommy, but I missed Daddy," Krissy sniffled as she touched Haley's cheek where a few tears had fallen, "don't cry Hay-Hay, I don't like it when you're sad." "I'm not sad anymore Kris," she replied as she glanced up at Lucas, who was smiling down at the two, and smiled too. "Good," Krissy responded, "because Daddy is happy too." "What about you, Kris, are you happy," Haley asked. "Uh huh, can Daddy stay with us tonight? I want you and Daddy to hold me when I sleep." The two teens smiled at each other in awe of the child's sweetness. Haley picked her up and positioned her on her hip, "Let's get you ready for bed sweetie."

Lucas was already lying in Haley's bed clad in a t-shirt and boxers when Haley and Krissy entered the room. "Daddy," Krissy shouted excitedly as she crawled across the bed to where he lay. "Hey Squirt," he replied as he pulled her close to him. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go change," Haley responded as she grabbed some clothes. Krissy climbed onto his chest and laid her head against it. He leaned his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes as he stroked her hair and rubbed her back. Haley returned a few minutes later and she slipped under the covers beside them. "So what's it gonna be tonight? I think it should be a Krissy Sandwich," Lucas grinned. "I agree," Haley replied. Both Lucas and Haley positioned themselves to face each other and carefully laid Krissy between them. "Goodnight Kris," Haley said quietly as she caressed the cheek of the already sleeping little girl. "Night sweetie," Lucas said softly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Lucas and Haley wrapped their arms around each other, careful not to disturb Krissy, and smiled at each other. "Goodnight Luke," she said. Lucas leaned in and softly kissed her on the lips, one which lasted a few good minutes until they slowly pulled away from each other. "Night Hales," he responded as he began to rub her stomach then looked up at her and smiled before he closed his eyes. "Night baby," he whispered as he fell into a peaceful slumber.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I know you guys probably all want to kill me for not updating The Sweetest Sin in like two weeks and even more for not updating ITPOAA. I've kind of had a major writer's block for both stories and I've been so busy and tired, but I'm slowly working through it. Luckily, next week is my spring break but I still have to work so I will have a little bit more time to write but I will also be busy as well. Next Friday I will be going up to Flagstaff ( Arizona) to see the snow with my dad and possibly one of my friends. I've never seen snow, well slushy snow, but anyways that is gonna be fun! We'll have snowball fights and make angels in the snow! Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S- I went to the One Tree Hill concert last Saturday, March 12th and it was FREAKIN' AWESOME! I wished Joie would have sung more songs than just the duet with Tyler Hilton of 'When the Stars Go Blue' but I'm EXTREMELY happy all the same. I bought Joie's and Tyler's cd's and her voice is AMAZING! The most, **BEST **part of my night was when I got to **MEET **Bethany Joy Lenz and Tyler Hilton and I got their autographs! That was the best night of my life! Okay, done screaming out loud now from excitement.

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 8**

The next morning Haley woke up to Lucas drawing small circles on her bare stomach with an index finger. "Good morning," he said softly, smiling as he stared into her eyes. Haley put one hand behind his head and pulled him down to kiss her. "Morning," she replied with a grin. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled closer to him, laying her head against his chest. "Where's Kris," she asked a few moments later after noticing that the little girl wasn't in bed with them. "She's watching cartoons in the living room like every kid does on a Sunday morning," he replied with a low chuckle. Haley sighed contentedly as she breathed in his musky scent, "I wish we could stay like this all day." "Sounds like a plan," he smirked with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "No, not that. I mean just lay here all day with your arms around me. It feels nice," Haley responded as she stroked his cheek then pulled his face down to meet her lips. "Mmm, it does," Lucas replied as he pulled away.

"I'm hungry," Haley stated suddenly. "Well then get dressed. We'll all go get some breakfast down at the café," he said as he sat up. A sad frown formed on her face as she crossed her arms, "I don't want to go there." "Why," he asked concernedly, rubbing the side of her arm. "Because-because your mom will be there and she-she probably hates me…" Haley began to cry, covering her face with her hands. "Oh no sweetie, she doesn't hate you. If anything, she should be mad at me for getting you pregnant, but she's not. She understands because she had me when she was young. Plus, we've done this before, with Krissy. She's okay with it, Hales, and she doesn't hate you. She told me that she wants to see you," he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, "please sweetie?" After a few minutes, she nodded slowly. He pulled her hands away from her face and kissed her palms then her lips. "You go get dressed and I'll get Krissy ready." She stood from the bed, the nervous look still in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it in reassurance, "It'll be okay Hales, I promise." She nodded silently then gave him a small smile before walking into the bathroom.

The two teens walked into the café with Lucas holding Krissy in one arm and his other arm wrapped around Haley's shoulder to help give her the courage to face his mother. Karen immediately spotted them and walked over, rubbing her hands on her thighs; she was nervous as well. She saw Lucas kiss Haley's temple and whisper in her ear, making her smile slightly. She knew that this, Haley and Lucas together as more than friends, had been a long time coming. Both parties walked towards each other slowly and Haley started to bite her bottom lip again as she stared down at the floor. Karen opened her arms wide with a small smile on her face and tears in her eyes as she wrapped them around her. Haley was stiff for a moment before she melted into Karen's arms, beginning to cry. "I'm so sorry…" she managed to choke out. "Sh, it's alright. I love you Haley. You're my daughter and nothing's going to change that. Everything is going to be okay…" Karen stroked her hair and rubbed her back then kissed her forehead, "Thank you." Haley sniffled as she pulled back, a confused expression on her face, "For what?" Karen gave her a soft smile then rubbed her hand on Haley's stomach, "For giving me another grandchild." Haley smiled but still had a confused look. "Another," Haley asked then turned to Lucas, "Luke, you don't have another kid that I don't know about, do you?" "No," he replied. Karen took Krissy from his arms, "I mean this little one."

"Grandma!" Krissy exclaimed as she wrapped her small arms around Karen's neck, "I'm hungry! Can I have some French toast sticks? And some eggs and milk? Please?" "Sure sweetie," Karen replied then asked Lucas and Haley, "What do you two want?" "I'll have a bacon, egg, and cheese burrito with a side of hash browns," Lucas replied. "Pancakes sound really good right now. I'll have an order of those and a large glass of orange juice," Haley responded after some thought. "Would that be a double stack or a triple stack," Lucas grinned widely at her. Haley hit him in the chest then glared at him. "What? You're eating for two now, you know," he replied. She placed her hands on her hips, a slightly mad expression on her face, "First you call me fat last night, now you want me to eat four to six pancakes?" Karen looked at her son with a shocked expression, "You called her fat? Boy, I hope you got in trouble for that one." "No, I said that she was showing a little and she thought I was calling her fat; she put words into my mouth."

"You're already showing," Karen asked, surprised, "then you've got to be, what, three or four months? Wait… it was the night of the Spring Fling dance wasn't it? Because Lucas, when he came home…" "When he came home what," Haley asked, glancing up at Lucas concernedly. "He was all moody and broody and I could tell that he'd been crying," Karen replied. "Mom," he groaned in embarrassment, "that's all in the past. And if you must know, yes, it did happen the night of the dance." "So you're probably about three months then," Karen deduced with some thought. Haley nodded and was about to say something when Krissy tugged on Karen's shirt, "Grandma, I'm hungry." "Alright sweetie, you go with Mommy and Daddy and I'll go fix your breakfast," Karen responded as she handed the little girl over to her son, "you guys go sit and I will be back out with your food in about ten minutes." "Okay, thanks Mom," he replied then led Haley over to a booth.

After they had eaten, Haley let out a moan of satisfaction as she leaned back, closing her eyes as she rubbed her stomach, "Mmm, that was soooo good. I missed your mom's cooking so much." Lucas chuckled as he smiled at her, "It must have been good if you ate like eight pancakes." Haley's eyes shot open in shock and shook her head indignantly, "I did not eat eight pancakes! I had five!" "Sure, you keep telling yourself that Hales," he winked at her with a smirk on his face. She crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout as she turned away from him. Lucas' face fell and he touched her shoulder tentatively, "Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." "You didn't," she replied then turned back to him with a smile on her face. "You little tease, you did that just to make me feel bad, didn't you?" "Maybe," she replied. "Well then maybe I'll have to do a little punishing for that," he responded with a playful smirk.

"Lucas, please, my ears! I don't want to lose my breakfast," Karen replied as she walked up to them with Krissy in her arms. "I second that," Haley grinned. "Luke, I wanna go play basketball," the little girl exclaimed, "I haven't played in a very long, long time." "Okay Squirt, let's go," he responded as he took her from his mother, "we'll see you later Mom." She hugged her son then Haley, "I would love it if you would come back to the café. We need you and you're irreplaceable. Plus, I miss you because we haven't talked or seen each other in a while and I will be able to keep an eye on you. You take it easy okay? Don't stress or strain yourself. Remember, you've got another one to worry about." She smiled as she placed her hand on Haley's stomach. "I will," Haley smiled as she hugged her again and kissed her cheek, "bye Mom." "Bye sweetie," Karen replied.

When they arrived at the basketball court, Lucas grabbed the ball from the back and got Krissy out of her car seat. As they walked onto the court, he said to Haley as he pointed to the picnic table, "You go sit and watch. I don't want you getting hurt." "You mean I don't get to play basketball," her eyes widened in surprise then she smiled and laughed, "I guess I should get pregnant more often then, or at least gotten pregnant sooner." He gave her a dry, yet stern look. "Just joking," she replied. He smiled then gave her a light kiss on the lips. He walked over to where Krissy was trying to bounce the ball then hoisted her onto his shoulders and they began to play.

Krissy and Lucas played basketball for about two hours until he noticed that Haley was getting a little tired and bored. He told Krissy that they were going to head home and to get the ball then called out to Haley as he walked over to her, "Let's go, we're going home." Haley stood then immediately put one hand to her forehead and her other on the picnic table as she leaned against it. Lucas became scared and ran over, "Hales, are you alright? Here, sit down." He helped her down onto the bench again and sat beside her. "I'm fine, I just got a little dizzy. Must have stood up too fast." Krissy saw her sister hunched forward with her hand on her forehead and raced over, "Haley, what's wrong?" "I'm okay sweetie, I felt a little dizzy, that's all." "Let's get you home," he replied as he slowly helped her stand then wrapped his arms around her shoulders and guided her to the car.

As soon as they arrived back at Haley's house, she raced to the bathroom, muttering, "I'm gonna be sick…" After getting Krissy settled in her room for her mid-morning nap, Lucas followed her into the bathroom. She was still throwing up into the toilet and his heart broke at seeing her like this. He began to rub her back as he held her hair for her, "I hate that you have to go through this..." Haley looked up at him wide-eyed in a momentary reprieve from her retching, "What?" Did he regret getting her pregnant and didn't want the baby anymore? Haley shook her head to rid her mind of that thought; Lucas wouldn't think that. "I hate seeing you so sick. And I'm the one that caused it," he replied softly. Haley gave him a small smile, "But it will all be worth it in the end though." "Yeah," he hugged her. After ten more minutes without incident, Lucas helped her up off the bathroom floor and escorted her to the bedroom. "Why don't you get some sleep? You both need it," he said into her ear as he kissed her cheek. She nodded and changed into some more comfortable clothes then crawled into bed. "Lay down with me," she requested as she patted the spot behind her. He shed his jeans and slipped under the sheets beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she snuggled back into his chest. Lucas kissed her on the neck as he moved some of the hair away from her face and she closed her eyes in contentment, finally drifting off to sleep.

Several hours later, Haley woke to the sun setting in her window and saw that it was about 4:30 in the afternoon. When Lucas, who had been sitting in a chair for a while, noticed her movement he stood and sat beside her on the bed. "Hey, how are you feeling? Any better," he asked softly as he gently brushed his hand over her stomach. "Yeah, it was probably the morning sickness kicking in," she replied as she stretched. "I was beginning to get worried about you. You slept for a long time," he responded with concern written in his eyes. "Throwing up all your food will do that to you," she chuckled lightly then added with a grin, "plus, I sleep better when your arms are around me. I've got three months of sleep to make up for." He laughed then responded, "So what do you want to do tonight?" "Let's just stay in and watch movies or something. I think I've had enough excitement for today."

He rubbed the side of one shoulder as he kissed her forehead, "Okay, what do you want for dinner? Do you think you can eat anything?" "How about some Chinese food? I've been craving some of Rice Garden's Sesame chicken and chow mien," Haley replied, "oh, and get Kris some of the sweet and sour chicken, but don't give her the sauce; it'll make her bounce off the walls, give her ketchup with it instead." "Alright, anything else you want," he inquired. "Some egg rolls, they are so good. I could live off them if I had to." "Okay, I'll go put in the order. Why don't you grab a blanket and get comfy on the couch? Do you need help getting up? Are you still dizzy," he asked concernedly. "I'm fine," she patted his leg as she stood from the bed, "what's Kris up to?" "Oh, she's watching Blue's Clues or Dora the Explorer or some kid show in the den," he replied. "Alright, you go order that food; I'm hungry. I haven't eaten anything all day since I threw up breakfast." "Nice Hales, just when we're about to eat you go and mention that," he responded sarcastically. "Great, more food for me then," she smiled back at him. He laughed and kissed her cheek then went into the kitchen to grab the phone.

"So what movie is it going to be tonight, Hales," Lucas asked as he sorted through the movie rack. "How about My Little Pony," she grinned, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Hell no. Didn't you watch that when you were like five years old?" "It's a good movie," Haley protested. "We're still not watching it," Lucas replied sternly. "Okay, how about Lion King 2 then," she suggested. "What's with all the kids movies, Hales?" "You better get used to it buster," she poked him in the chest with her finger, "I can't watch any scary horror movies or movies with lots of blood and gore. It's not good for the baby if I get scared and I don't want to be throwing up all throughout the movie from all the blood." "Fine, Lion King 2 it is," he responded as he put the movie into the DVD player.

After the second movie was over, Lucas looked down and saw that Haley was fast asleep against him. Her head lay on his chest with her right hand over his heart and her other arm wrapped around his back. He kissed the top of her head then smoothed her hair, lightly rubbing her back. A few minutes passed as he laid back on the couch with his eyes closed, relishing at having Haley beside him. He then carefully picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom and gently laid her down before he climbed in beside her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in her scent, finally falling asleep himself.

The next morning before school started, Haley and Lucas walked into the daycare center with Krissy in his arms. One of the ladies, Michelle, noticed them and smiled as she came over to them. "Good morning Haley, Lucas," she said then tickled the little girl's tummy, "and good morning to you, Krissy." She giggled and replied, "Morning Ms. M." Many of the young kids Michelle watched over could not pronounce her name correctly yet so she told them to call her Ms. M. She turned back to the teens, "Glad to see you two back together again. Krissy here has been sad ever since you two broke up." "Thanks," Lucas replied. Haley stroked Krissy's hair and kissed her cheek, "Bye Kris, you have fun okay?" She nodded, "I will." "See you later baby. We'll come pick you up after school," he kissed her forehead then set her down on the ground. "Bye Luke, bye Haley," Krissy said then ran to go play with some of the other kids that were already there.

Once they had gotten their books from their lockers, they walked down the hall towards Haley's first class. "Can I carry your books, Miss James," he asked with a smile. "I can carry them on my own thank you very much," she answered back sarcastically. "Remember what the Child Development teacher said, no heavy lifting," he chided her. "She meant like fifty pound boxes, Lucas, not a five pound text book and a one pound binder," Haley responded as she rolled her eyes. "Still, you're my girlfriend and I would like to carry your books for you. Is that too much to ask?" "Fine," she sighed as she handed him her books, "if it'll make you feel better and more manly, then be my guest." "Hey, I'm manly," he protested. "Yeah, right, like the time I walked into your house to find you singing and dancing in your smiley face boxer shorts to Aretha Franklin's 'Respect'," she asked with raised eyebrows and a smirk on her face. "You said you would never talk about that again," he replied in a low tone. "You _told_ me never to talk about it again. I don't always do what you say," she grinned. "Oh really," he asked, also raising an eyebrow, "what other things have you done that I've told you not to do?" "Oh I don't know, lots of things," she responded with a smile. "Like what?" "Like this," she pinched his butt and he jumped a little. "Ouch," he replied, "you pinched hard. Besides, I told you not to do that when we weren't dating. You can do that all you want now."

He grinned at her and she slapped him lightly in the chest with the back of her hand, "Aww, poor baby. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" "Now Hales, that would hardly be appropriate behavior at school, but you could always save that for later," he smirked then winked at her. "Or I could do something a little more subtle, like I don't know…" she smiled as she slipped her hand into the right back pocket of his jeans and began to rub a small circle before squeezing the skin a little. He jolted in reflex and then he hissed in her ear. "Hales, stop. You-You're, you know," he glanced down and she did too, noticing the slight bulge in the front of his pants. It was her turn to smirk, "Oh, I'm getting you all hot and bothered? Well, I guess you better take a cold shower before class starts. There's enough time for you to take a quick one in the locker room." He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, "Or I could take you into the janitor's closet and have my way with you right now with hundreds of students and teachers just outside the door." "Nah uh, no way. I draw the line at that. That's never gonna happen," she responded adamantly. "Never say never, Hales," he smiled. "How about, you wish," she responded.

The bell rang and both sighed, hating that they had to part ways to go to their separate classes. "I'll miss you," she said softly, a hint of tears shining in her eyes. "Me too," he replied, stroking her cheek with his thumb. They hugged each other then kissed tenderly for a few moments before they pulled away. "Alright, I have to go. My class is down at the other end of the building. Meet you by your locker after third hour so we can pick up Kris and go home," Lucas asked. "Yeah," she replied quietly. He pulled her close to him again so no one else would see then rubbed his hand on her stomach. "Bye Mama," he kissed her forehead then gave her shoulder a light squeeze as he left. "Bye," she said softly as she watched his retreating figure walk away from her. She turned to face the opposite way and wiped her wet cheeks as she muttered, "Damn hormones."

Later that day in her second hour English class, Haley was sitting there intently listening to the teacher's lecture while she took notes when the familiar feeling of nausea rose in her throat. She rose her hand and shook it every which way, desperately trying to get the teacher's attention, whose back was turned, for she did not trust herself to open her mouth to speak. She finally gave up and raced out of the classroom, making a mad dash for the bathrooms, which were thankfully just down the hall.

Peyton, who was in the same English class, followed after her concernedly, knowing what she'd find. This, Haley rushing to the bathroom, had been a common occurrence in the last few weeks and these past two or three times, she had gone after her to make sure she was okay. And every time she found the same thing. Her prediction was confirmed when she opened the bathroom door and heard retching from one of the stalls. The other times Haley would tell her she was fine and tell her that she wasn't feeling well or that she'd probably poured some sour milk in her cereal that morning. But Peyton wasn't going to take her excuses any more. She knew something was wrong and had a pretty good feeling for what it was.

Peyton lightly knocked on the stall door that Haley was behind and asked worriedly, "Haley, are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine Peyton, just not feeling too well today. You go on and head back to class. I'll be okay," Haley replied in a weak, muffled voice. "No, you're not okay," she stated loudly, "now you let me in or I swear I will find a way in there!" There was a little paper rustling for a moment then the lock clicked and the door slowly inched open. Peyton pushed it open the rest of the way and found Haley hunched over the toilet. Peyton gently grabbed Haley's hair and held it for her as she rubbed her back while Haley emptied the contents of her stomach. When Haley had stopped for a few minutes, Peyton asked softly, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" Haley looked at her with wide, shocked eyes for a moment then slowly nodded. "Does he know," Peyton inquired. She nodded again. "What are you going to do," the blonde asked. "We're keeping the baby," Haley replied quietly, involuntarily wrapping her arms around her stomach.

Now Peyton's eyes were wide, "So you're going to be with him? Haley, he hurt you! He could hurt your baby!" Haley was confused for a moment, "Wait, who are you talking about?" "Nathan, of course! Who else could I be talking about," she shouted. "Peyton, Nathan's not the father," Haley replied. "Then who…" she asked confusedly then it dawned on her, "Lucas?" "Yeah," the brunette responded quietly. "Wow, when did that happen?" Haley responded uncomfortably, "Um, the night of the Spring Fling dance." Peyton laughed, "I always thought that name was a little corny but now it just sounds so right." "It wasn't a fling. Well, it was at the time, but it became so much more for us." Peyton smiled as she glanced down at Haley's stomach, "I can see that." "Well yeah, that's a big part of it, but it brought Luke and I together. Maybe we wouldn't be together if it hadn't been for that night and this baby. He's so great Peyton, about everything. He makes me feel…" Haley stopped abruptly as she turned and retched into the toilet. "That's not a very nice way of putting it," Peyton smirked then rose and got some wet paper towels. She sat beside Haley again and when she raised her head, Peyton dabbed her warm forehead and cheeks with them. "Thanks," Haley replied. "No problem," the blonde replied, "are you feeling any better?" "Yeah, just give me a couple more minutes to make sure I'm not going to throw up anymore," Haley responded. "Okay," Peyton answered and five minutes later, she helped Haley up off the floor and guided her back to class.

Haley was waiting by her locker when Lucas walked up to her and hugged her around the waist then kissed her on the lips. "Hey Hales," he greeted her then rubbed her stomach between them and whispered in her ear so none of the passersby would hear, "hi baby." She smiled at him and kissed his cheek, "Hey." He looked at her concernedly, "Are you feeling alright? You look a little pale." "I'm okay, I just threw up earlier during second hour." "Are you sure? You're not feeling dizzy or faint or anything," he asked worriedly as he rubbed her shoulder. "I'm fine," she stated firmly, becoming a little irritated. "I just worry about you, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby," he whispered in her ear. "I know," she sighed, "it's just the mood swings and hormones making me crazy." "Nah, you were crazy even before you got pregnant," he smirked. She hit him lightly in the chest, "Lucas!" "Come on, let's go pick up Kris," he replied.

Later that afternoon, the three of them were at the park next to the rivercourt, enjoying the sunny and warm afternoon. While Krissy played with other kids on the jungle gym and the slides, Lucas and Haley were cuddled up on a blanket under a tall oak tree near the river front. Lucas sat behind her, leaning against the tree, and Haley was snuggled back into his strong chest. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and their hands were entwined together on her thighs. A light breeze drifted through the air and Haley closed her eyes, taking in all the different smells of the flowers in bloom, Lucas' musky scent, and her own perfume all mingling together. She sighed in contentment then leaned her head up and lightly pressed her mouth to the side of his jaw. "I love you," she said in a soft voice and a small smile on her face. He raised one of their linked hands and kissed the back of her hand then her right temple, "Love you too Hales."

Haley's gaze searched the playground for Krissy and then she spotted a parent pushing their child on the swings and her smile broadened. She motioned to Luke to look at what she saw then she said quietly, "That's going to be us again soon." She looked up at him and he smiled then tenderly kissed her lips. "Yeah," he replied as he too stared at the parents with their children then he took his hands from Haley's and slowly rubbed her stomach. She smiled even wider at this action and she placed her hands on top of his. "I wish we could stay like this forever," she murmured as she closed her eyes. "Me too," he nuzzled her hair then kissed her cheek and rested his chin on top of her head, closing his eyes as well.

They stayed like that for a little while until Krissy called out from the playground, "Mommy! Come push me on the swings!" Haley started to get up but Lucas wouldn't let her go. "No, you stay here and rest. I'll go push her," he said as he got up. "I'm not going to sit around on my ass and rest the whole remainder of my pregnancy while you do everything, Luke. I'm not going to be treated like an invalid. I won't stand for it." He stroked her hair then rubbed her back, "I know sweetie, but you need all the rest you can get and I don't want you to strain yourself. It could hurt the baby. I just don't want anything to happen to either of you, okay?" She nodded silently, a few tears falling down her cheeks as she responded, "I just- I don't want you to treat me like a porcelain doll that you put up on a shelf and only bring it down to play once in awhile. You get what I mean? I'm not fragile; I can still do things. I don't want to be made to sit on the couch and rest until after the baby is born. I want to live my life normally, I _need_ to live my life normally." He stroked her cheek with his thumb and wiped away her tears, "I know." He took her hand and kissed the back of it, "Come on." He helped her up off the blanket and he entwined his fingers with hers as they walked onto the playground to push Krissy on the swings.

Later that night, with Krissy already put to bed, Haley and Lucas lay nestled together on the couch. Lucas was on his back and Haley laid half on top of him and half by his side, her head resting over his heart. They relished in the peaceful quietness of the house, times like these few because of their little girl sleeping in her room down the hall. Lucas stroked her arm slowly, dragging his fingers up and down her soft skin. "Prom is coming up, you know," he murmured softly. "Three weeks," she mumbled, her eyelids fighting to stay open but losing the battle fast. "You need to get a dress," he said in the same tone. "Who said I was even going? Especially with you," Haley chuckled sleepily. "Well, you kinda sorta have to go with me because, well, you know, you're my girlfriend and you're carrying my child. So you're kinda sorta stuck with me," he grinned. "I guess, if I must," she replied as she yawned. "You must," he replied with a smile then gently picked her up, "come on, let's get you to bed."


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: **SURPRISE! New chapter! Shocked? I know, I was too. I got this chapter finished early so I decided to post it. The inspiration and ideas for this story are really flowing right now so I'm really happy about that. I'm sorry to those of you who read my other story, ITPOAA, I still have a MAJOR writer's block. I know some of the things I want to happen in the chapter, but I don't know how I want to put it down into words. Anybody ever have that happen? Sucks, don't it? Anyways, this chapter has both fluff and drama, so I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – Is anybody else having MAJOR One Tree Hill withdrawal like I am? Screw The Starlet, put OTH back on! I'm hoping to FINALLY get Season 1 on DVD this week so I'm happy about that so I can watch some episodes while I'm on spring break if dad doesn't hog the DVD player.

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 9**

It had been two weeks since they had been together and they were closer than ever. Karen had allowed Lucas to stay with Haley so he could keep an eye on her at home and help out with Krissy so Haley wouldn't become overwhelmed or stressed with everything going on. She was a busy girl, after all. Haley would go through a full day of school, possibly an hour or two of tutoring, then would put in a few hours at the café, where Karen kept a watchful eye on her and made her sit down every once in a while so she wouldn't overwork herself. Haley was patient; however, with all the walking on eggshells Lucas and Karen were doing around her, she was becoming frustrated, and her hormones didn't help any. As the days went by, Haley became increasingly more emotional and sensitive about anything and everything. Just the other night, Haley had burst into tears at a commercial of a mother washing her baby in a bathtub with that Johnson's baby shampoo. Lucas had come from the kitchen where he was making dinner, alarmed, to see what was wrong. He was finally able to calm her down and they ate dinner, put Krissy to bed, then went to bed themselves.

It was now Saturday afternoon and Lucas walked into the house after playing a little two-on-two with Skills, Junk, and Fergie down at the rivercourt. He heard a sound coming from the bedroom and raced to it concernedly, swinging the door open. He found Haley lying face down on the bed, her head buried into a pillow, as she sobbed loudly, the pillow failing to muffle her cries. Lucas gently sat down on the bed beside her and stroked her hair. "Honey, what's wrong," he asked softly. She turned on her back, her face red and puffy, tears streaming down her cheeks. He became even more worried, "Hales, please tell me?" She sucked in a deep breath to steady her voice, but it did not help; it still wavered when she spoke. "My-my pants don't fit…" Haley burst into a fit of tears again as she covered her face with her hands. It was then Lucas noticed that her jeans were unbuttoned and the zipper was only halfway up because of the growing roundness from their baby. "Aww, honey, that's great," Lucas exclaimed with a wide open smile. Haley stopped crying and glared at him murderously. "How is that great," she asked him angrily.

He kissed the back of her hand then tenderly kissed her belly, gently rubbing it a few times in a circle. Tears of happiness were now shining from his eyes as he answered softly, "It means that our baby is growing and getting bigger, which means that soon our son or daughter will be here." He hugged her to him, rubbing her back to comfort her. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him tightly against her, her hands against his shoulder blades. "I love you," she whispered as a few more tears fell and she buried her face in his strong chest, inhaling his scent. "I love you so much Hales," he responded quietly as he kissed the top of her head. They stayed in each other's embrace for several long minutes until Lucas said in a raspy, seductive voice that Haley so loved, "You know, you look very sexy right now…" She pulled back and looked at him skeptically, glancing down at her rumpled shirt and toying with her messy hair. "I don't think so," she mumbled as she looked down at her hands, tears once again forming in her brown eyes. He took her face in his hands and kissed the tip of her nose, smiling softly at her, "You're beautiful and sexy and don't believe for one minute, one second, that you aren't. You don't know how many times just in these past two weeks that I've had to take a cold shower or almost had to tie myself down to keep my hands off you every minute I'm with you." "Really," she asked meekly, "you don't think I'm fat?"

"Oh, honey, no…Why would I? That's our baby in there," he replied quietly as he pointed to her stomach. She covered her face with her hands again, sniffling through her tears, "I-I just- sometimes I feel like you don't want me anymore…because I'm fat…and then I'll get even more fat…" Lucas wrapped his arms around her and lightly kissed her neck, "It's because I want you too much…" She stared at him confusedly again and he elaborated, "I love you Hales, so much. You said you wanted to take this slow and that's what I'm doing. Plus, I'm afraid that I might hurt you or the baby. I don't want to lose control and push into you too hard or lay on top of you because I will be laying on your stomach and I don't want to crush the baby… I-I just don't want hurt either of you." "I thought we threw the idea of going slow out the day we got together," she asked with a small smile. "Yeah, but I still want to take this slow. I don't-" "You don't want to hurt me or the baby, I know," Haley finished for him. She looked into his blue eyes and saw that he really was scared about this. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, stroking the back of his head. They just sat there for a long time, Haley giving him silent reassurance as he nuzzled her with his nose in the crook of her neck, taking in her perfume, finding comfort in Haley's familiar smell.

She said several minutes later as she pulled away from him, "It's okay. Remember, I told you the doctor said it was alright to have sex up until the last month." "I know, but I still think we should wait; at least for a little while," he responded then added, "Just remember that I love you, no matter what. I don't care how big you get or if your feet swell up like balloons or if you chew me out every day until the baby is born. I'll still love you. You're my Hales and there is no one else I would rather have by my side for the rest of my life." She sniffled as she gently pushed him in the chest, "You jerk. You better not be proposing. You're not even down on one knee." He saw the small smile on her face so he knew that she wasn't mad at him. "I'm not proposing unless you want me to. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait until the timing is perfect," he responded with a smile of his own. "I want to wait until the time is right too," she replied as she leaned into his chest again.

They lay down for a while, their arms wrapped around each other as they softly kissed, alternating with light roaming of their tongues every few minutes. He ran his fingers through her long auburn tresses and she dragged her fingernails lightly along his back, causing him to moan. He felt himself begin to swell at her gentle touch and reluctantly he pulled himself away, "Hales, stop…" He really didn't want to tell her to stop, but he was still scared. Haley and the baby meant everything to him and he didn't want to jeopardize that just because he couldn't control himself one night. She slipped her small hands under his shirt and began to draw small circles on his chest, the puppy dog pout she knew he could never resist on her face, "Please Luke?" He sighed in defeat, "Alright, but tell me if anything hurts, okay?" She nodded, desire burning in her chocolate brown eyes, "I will." He slowly pulled off her shirt then began a trail of kisses from her mouth to her neck, in the valley between her breasts, her stomach, then he lightly pressed his lips in the space between her navel and the waistband of her panties. She giggled at this then pulled him back up to her own lips. "That tickles," she responded after they parted. He smiled and rubbed the one-day-old scrub on his face, "Guess I shouldn't shave so often then." Soon the rest of their clothes were shed and they began to move in a slow rhythm with Haley on top as they rocked back and forth…

Later in the day, Lucas walked up to Haley, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine, and sat down beside her. She had changed into a pair of Luke's sweatpants, which were a little big, but that was a good thing; at least they fit around her stomach, Haley had mused after putting them on. He patted her thigh to get her attention, "I think I have a solution to your little clothing problem." "What, me wearing your sweatpants for the next five or six months? Because I hate to tell you Luke, but even those will get too small." "No, I think you should give Peyton a call and you two can go shopping for some clothes. You don't need maternity clothes yet, but you'll need them soon. Why don't you get a couple outfits that have some stretch pants or elastic in them? That way they'll accommodate you as our baby gets bigger," he replied as he placed his hand on the small round bump of her belly, careful not to mention anything about her stomach getting bigger because he knew she would get all emotional again, then added, "plus, you still need to get a prom dress. It's only a week away, you know."

Ever since Peyton had found out about the baby, the two girls had become even closer than before. They were often joined at the hip at school if Haley wasn't with Luke and they hung out sometimes after school when Haley wasn't working or she got tired of sitting around the house, orders from Luke of course. However, Luke had also given his little lecture on making sure Haley rested to Peyton many times before whenever they went to go do something, even just hanging out around the house. Needless to say, Haley was getting frustrated.

Haley sighed and pushed some hair behind her ear, "Okay, I'll call her, but you better not give Peyton another talk about making me rest. Shopping won't be any fun if I have to sit down every twenty damn minutes." He hugged her, "Okay, I promise. Just- if you feel sick, or dizzy, or faint, I want you to come home alright?" She nodded in his embrace, "I promise." Once they pulled away, he patted her back, "You go call Peyton. I think I'll head down to the café and give my mom a hand. She's probably got her hands full running back and forth checking on Kris while tending to the customers." Lucas went to go get changed and Haley called Peyton, who was eager for a shopping buddy to go with on her search for the perfect prom dress.

Just as Lucas was about to leave, the doorbell rang and Haley went to answer it. "Hey Peyton, thanks for coming with me. Luke here doesn't really have all that good taste in clothes so I'm glad that we're going shopping together instead of me and him," she smiled back at him sweetly as he walked up behind her. "Hey now, if that's really true then why do you always end up wearing my clothes," he smirked as he glanced down to the sweatpants and one of his large t-shirts she was wearing. "Okay, more than I needed to hear. Haley, let's go. I don't want to stand here and listen to any more of your sex banter," Peyton cut in as she motioned for Haley to come outside. "Hold on a sec," Haley replied then turned to Lucas. She hugged him and kissed him softly on the lips, "Love you. See you later okay?" He nodded and kissed her back, "Love you too Hales." He then turned to Peyton, "You better drive carefully. And remember to take good care of my girl here; she's precious cargo." He patted Haley's stomach as he said the last line. "Don't worry, Daddy, she's in good hands," the blonde replied as she patted Haley's shoulder with the arm wrapped around her back. Lucas watched the two girls laugh at something one of them had said as they walked down the steps to Peyton's car and smiled.

"So, what exactly are you looking for? Like color, design…input opinion here," Peyton stated with a grin as she linked her arm through Haley's once they entered the mall. "Oh um, I'm not sure. I guess when I see it, I'll know," Haley replied with a shrug then said, "Peyton? Um, I just wanted to tell you that looking for a prom dress isn't the only thing I needed to go shopping for, um…" Haley's cheeks tinted pink a little bit in embarrassment and Peyton caught on after looking at her again. "Pants don't fit, huh," the blonde asked with a smirk. "Yes, and stop gloating," she mumbled in a disgruntled tone. "I wasn't, but I guess that explains why you're wearing Luke's clothes." Haley nodded as they continued to walk around. "So I guess you want to get some loose fitting pants with an elastic waistband and some bigger shirts," Peyton questioned. "Yeah, Luke said I don't need to wear maternity clothes yet but I will have to soon. So maybe I'll get a couple outfits with pants and shirts, maybe a dress or a skirt, and possibly one or two maternity outfits. I think that should do for now," Haley mused, "then we can go look at prom dresses." "Okay, let's get started," Peyton exclaimed as she jumped up and clapped her hands, "oh, this is going to be so fun!" "Maybe for you," Haley grumbled as she followed after her friend.

Once Haley had gotten all her clothes, they walked further to more stores when Peyton squealed, "Oh, let's go in here!" Peyton practically dragged her into the store, a Baby Gap. "This is so cute," the blonde cooed over a little pink dress with butterflies on it. "Yeah, it is," Haley replied as she fingered the soft material. "Luke would love this," Peyton said as she rushed over and pulled a small hooded cotton sweatshirt, similar to Krissy's except different in color and size, for newborns. Haley smiled at it as she imagined their little girl or boy wearing a hoodie just like their father. They perused the items a little longer until Haley jumped in shock, startled by Peyton's shriek a few feet away, "Haley! Come here!" She walked over to her friend and asked concernedly, "What is it Peyt?" "Oh, I am SO getting you this! Luke will absolutely love it! And don't try to talk me out of it; I'm buying it for you. Think of it as an early baby present." She was holding up a small one-piece suit with little basketballs all over it. "But what if we have a girl," Haley asked. "It's yellow, Hales. It can go for a boy or a girl. Besides, no matter what gender the baby is, it's going to have some sweet basketball skills. It's just perfect," Peyton squealed again. "Jeez Peyt, enough with the shrieking and squealing, my ears already hurt enough." "Okay, stopping now, but everything is just so cute! Aren't you excited," Peyton inquired with a wide open smile and bright eyes. "Yeah, of course I'm excited. I don't know, it all just seems so unreal right now; I'm still kind of in a daze about it. Maybe it will feel real once the baby starts kicking, I don't know," Haley replied with a sigh as she placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed in a slow circle.

"Why don't you go rest on that bench outside the store while I pay for this then we can sit and talk for a little while? Luke would kill me if he found out I didn't make you rest; you've been on your feet for almost two or three hours," Peyton said as she guided Haley to the store doors. "What Luke doesn't know, won't hurt him," Haley muttered under her breath. "What was that," Peyton asked. "It's nothing," Haley responded as she walked outside the store. A few minutes later, Peyton joined her on the bench. "So, what's going on with you? You're not acting like your usual self. Are you feeling alright?" "Yes," Haley sighed exasperatedly, "I wish everyone would stop asking me that." "Sorry. But what's up? Everything appears to be going okay with you and Luke, so what else is bothering you," the blonde questioned concernedly. "It's just that-" Haley stopped abruptly and rolled her eyes, "great, I have to pee again. I have to go like every five damn minutes. It's annoying." Peyton laughed and Haley glared at her for a moment then responded, "After I get out of there, we're going dress shopping." The look on Haley's face told Peyton that she shouldn't argue, so the blonde simply nodded.

An hour later, Peyton had already found her prom dress, but Haley had still yet to find one. She was currently in one of the dressing rooms trying one on as Peyton sat in a chair flipping through a magazine outside them. Inside the small room, Haley zipped up the dress and stared at herself in the mirror. She frowned when she noticed that her stomach was showing too much, the dress fit almost like a second skin. This was about the eleventh or twelfth dress she'd tried on and none of them fit her the way she wanted them to. She curled her arms around her back and tugged on the zipper, but it wouldn't budge. She tried a few more times, each resulting unsuccessfully. Haley began to tear up and her chin trembled as she sank down onto the bench and started to fish through her purse. She finally found what she was looking for, her cell phone, and flipped it open then pressed the speed dial number for Luke's cell.

She waited a few moments until Lucas finally answered, "Hello?" "Luke…" Haley sniffled as she began to cry harder at his voice. "Sweetie, are you alright? Is Peyton with you? Hales, tell me what's wrong," Lucas demanded concernedly in a calm tone, yet he was beginning to panic inside. "I'm fat! I can't fit into any of the dresses and the bigger ones are too big, or too poofy, or too- too everything! I don't want to go to prom anymore. I'm too fat for prom; I'm too fat for everything. And now I'm-I'm…" "You're what," he asked. "I'm stuck…" she pouted with her lower lip trembling as she covered one hand over her face in embarrassment even though no one could see her. "Stuck where," he inquired. "In a dress that I'm too fat for," she burst into tears again then said in a softer voice a minute or two later, "Luke, can you please come down here? I need you." Lucas' heart broke at her upset state, wishing he could take her in his arms and hold her, reassure her that she was the most beautiful woman in the world and that she was definitely not fat. "Honey, I would be there in a heartbeat if I could, but I can't. The dinner rush has just come in and I can't leave my mom short-handed with all these customers…" He was abruptly cut off. "Ass hole!" Haley screamed into the phone before turning it off and flipping it shut. Thankfully, the dressing rooms were fully enclosed and the walls were soundproof.

Haley took a few minutes to try and calm down then slowly opened the door a crack and called out in a choked up voice, "Peyton?" "Yeah," the blonde responded, placing the magazine back on the table next to her and standing up. "Please help me," Haley whimpered. Peyton took in Haley's pleading, broken voice and immediately became alarmed, "Haley, are you okay? Tell me what's wrong." "Don't laugh, okay," Haley whispered. Peyton shook her head, "I won't." "I'm stuck…in the dress," she mumbled, "will you help me get out of it?" "Sure," the blonde replied as she grabbed her purse and stepped inside the dressing room with Haley. "This is a tricky one," Peyton said as she fiddled with the zipper for a few moments then finally zipped part of it down to where Haley could do the rest alone, "ah, there we go." "Thanks," Haley replied quietly, "hey Peyt?" "Yeah," she inquired. "After I change, can we go sit down at the food court for a little while? I need to take a break and I want to get something to drink, maybe a bite to eat too." "Of course; I'm getting a little hungry myself. Meet you out here in five minutes? I just spotted a pair of shoes that might look good with my dress, so I'm going to take a quick look at them then we can go okay?" Haley nodded then Peyton slipped out of the dressing room. She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed as she looked at her belly slightly protruding from the dress then ran her hand around her middle and sank down onto the bench again, covering her face with her hands.

When the two girls reached the food court, Peyton asked, "What are you getting?" "Um, just some chicken strips to tide me over and some lemonade. What about you," Haley responded. "I think I'll get two double cheeseburgers, some fries, and an apple pie." Haley looked at her incredulously, "Jeez, with all that food you're ordering, one might think you're the one who's pregnant, not me. Where do you put it all? How can you eat like that and not gain a pound? And look at me, I'm-I'm…chubby…" Tears welled in Haley's eyes and began to fall down her cheeks. Lucas had warned Peyton about Haley's sensitivity to being fat and she cursed herself now for mentioning the food. She wrapped her arms around Haley's shoulders and hugged her, "Hey…Haley, you are not chubby and you're not fat." She pointed to Haley's stomach, "Those aren't extra pounds. That's your baby in there, Hales, your baby." Haley hugged her tighter, her chin on Peyton's shoulder, her eyes closed, "I know; Luke's told me that too, but I can't help it. I'm pregnant, but I feel fat and I look fat…" "You do not look fat Haley," Peyton said firmly, wondering how much more it would take her and Lucas to convince Haley to believe that she wasn't. "Let's go get our food," Haley said a few moments later as she pulled away from her friend. "No, you sit down. I'll go get it," Peyton ordered as she pointed to a chair at a nearby empty table. "Fine," Haley sighed, too tired to argue with her. All the crying was beginning to take a toll on her.

Haley and Peyton were eating five minutes later when Peyton suddenly felt a buzzing in her pocket. She pulled her cell phone out and noticed that she had four missed calls; she voiced this to Haley. "Hmm, must not have felt it vibrate," she mused as she looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Lucas calling, "It's Luke." Haley's face darkened at his name and she stayed quiet; Peyton did not notice this facial change. "Hey Luke, what's up," Peyton asked into the phone. "Uh, can I talk to Haley please? She has her phone turned off." "Sure, here she is. Haley, he wants to talk to you," Peyton replied as she handed the phone over to her. Haley put the phone to her ear. "Hales…" Lucas began but Haley cut him off. "I don't want to talk to you," she said in a cold tone then shouted into the phone before turning it off and handing it back to Peyton, "go to hell!" "What was that all about," Peyton asked confusedly. "Nothing," she grumbled as she tore off a piece from her chicken strip and stuffed it in her mouth. "Well it must be something. You two were acting all love dovey when I came to pick you up so what happened since then? I haven't seen you talk to him except for just now," the blonde asked, still confused. Haley crossed her arms over her chest and folded one leg over her other knee, moving it back and forth in irritation, "I don't want to talk about it." "Haley, what's wrong? Why are you mad at him?" "I don't want to talk about it, okay," she screamed then abruptly pushed her chair back and stood, racing for the mall doors, which were nearby.

Haley was only a few feet away when the rubber on the front of her shoe caught on the tile flooring and she began to fall forward. She let out a strangled scream in fright as she instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach to protect her baby. Before she could hit the floor, an arm circled around her waist and pulled her back up against them. Haley saw Peyton's curly blonde locks out of the corner of her eye and she closed her eyes then rested her head back in the crook of Peyton's neck. Tears welled in her eyes as reality hit her. The realization of what could have happened hit her full force. She could have hurt her baby; she could have lost the baby, if she had fallen. Thank god Peyton was there. "I-I want to go home…" Haley sniffled as she turned and buried her head in her friend's chest, starting to sob. Peyton hugged her tight to her body, thanking god that she had gotten to Haley in time. She would have never forgiven herself if something had happened to Haley or the baby, especially over a little fight like the one they'd had at the table minutes before. She stroked Haley's hair and rubbed her back for several moments before pulling away slightly, "Let's get you home." Haley nodded, sobs still wracking her shuddering body.

In the car, Haley curled up in the seat, her knees held close to her chest and her head buried into her thighs as she rocked back and forth and cried. Peyton glanced worriedly between her and the road every few seconds. When they reached Haley's house, Haley bolted from the car, up the front steps, and into the house. Haley saw Lucas standing in the hallway a few feet from her and she raced to him, wrapping him in a tight embrace. "I'm so sorry…" she sobbed before she tore herself away from him and ran down the hall, Lucas hearing the bedroom door slam a few seconds later. Peyton walked up the steps and stood in the doorway as she watched Lucas stared confusedly at the empty path she had taken. "She had a little scare," Peyton said softly. Lucas turned around to look at her, "What?" "At the mall, I asked her what she was mad at you about and she said she didn't want to talk about it, but like the fool that I am, I had to press on. She got pissed at me and ran from the table. Her shoe stubbed on the tiling and she almost fell forward on the floor, but I caught her. I'm so sorry Luke, if I hadn't asked her…" Tears welled in her own eyes and she swiped at her cheeks. "Hey, it's okay…it isn't your fault. If anything, it's mine. All this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gotten in a fight with her. It's not your fault, Peyton," he rubbed her shoulders to comfort and reassure her.

"I-I have to go. I need to finish a strip for THUD. I'll see you later okay? Tell Haley that I'm sorry," she said as she turned to leave but faced him again and handed him Haley's shopping bags, "oh, here, these are Haley's. We didn't find a prom dress, but we got her some clothes. Um, in that small bag, there are a few presents for the baby…Haley's already seen one of them but… I don't think she's ready to see them right now, you know, because she's so upset…Um, have Haley give me a call if she wants to go dress shopping again later this week…" He nodded with a small smile, "I will, thanks Peyton. For the gifts, and for taking her shopping." "No problem," she returned the small smile, "I'll see you guys on Monday at school." He nodded again then she left and he slowly closed the door behind her. He set down Haley's bags by the couch except for the small one and sat down on the couch, staring at the bag in his hands. Carefully he pulled out each item. First was the little basketball one-piece suit, then he pulled out a small fuzzy, stuffed basketball, and last, he pulled out a small gray cotton hooded sweatshirt for newborns that had a little basketball over the left breast and on the back it said 'Basketball Star in Training'. Lucas brought his hands to his face as he began to cry, the reality of what had almost happened now hitting him too.

He sat there for several minutes then got up and put the items back in the bag. He then slowly walked down the hallway to the bedroom and hesitated in front of the closed door, not sure if she wanted to see him yet. His concern got the best of him and he quietly opened the door, finding Haley crying on the bed, similar to the way he had found her that morning. She had her arms curled around her stomach as if she were holding her baby and intermittently rubbed her hand over the small bump. Lucas carefully climbed on the bed beside her and lay behind her. Gently he slid his arms around her body and entwined his fingers with hers on her belly and kissed her neck. "I'm sorry…" he whispered into her hair. She nodded then turned over to face him and snuggled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso then kissed him softly on the lips. "I'm sorry too…" she murmured as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Long time, no see, I know. My life has been pretty screwy the last few weeks and I've had some bad things happen, not to mention writer's block for this story. In the last month, my family has had three car accidents all within the space of a week. First it was my mom and my dad in his car, then I was in an accident, then my mom got in one in the rental car we were using. My dad's car was totaled and only the front end and the grille needed fixing on my car, but thankfully we're all okay. We got a new car and we just got my car back from the shop yesterday. School has been pretty hectic too since I'm nearing graduation and we have a whole bunch of stuff to do and meetings to attend. I've just been running myself ragged these past few weeks that I haven't really been inspired to write that much. But I'm back now with a whole new chapter! So you can all be happy about that. This chapter is filled with drama, so be ready for it! I have most of the next chapter all thought out, but not written down. The hard part will be putting it into words LOL. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – One Tree Hill comes back with new episodes THIS WEEK! YAY!

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 10**

A week had passed and it was now the day before prom. Haley had finally found a dress a few days earlier, but she was nervous about wearing it. She was worried that, come prom night, the dress wouldn't fit because of her growing belly; and it was because of this fear that she tried the dress on every couple days to make sure it still fit and didn't show her stomach too much. It was a v-neck halter dress with a beaded bodice that went down to her ankles. Simple, yet beautiful and elegant; just like Haley, Peyton had said. It was a soft, silky material that flowed about her, making her feel like she was walking on air. The dress was a dark teal color, almost an ocean blue-green. There weren't many shoes colored nearly the same as the dress, so Haley had opted to go for a pair of silver high heels. They weren't too high, thankfully, for she knew Luke would kill her for wearing such shoes in her delicate condition. Ever since the scare at the mall, Lucas had become increasingly more protective of her and she had allowed it for a little while, being scared herself, but now she was beginning to tire of it.

Haley sighed and smoothed her hands over the soft material; she was trying on the dress again. It still fit of course, just like it had two days ago. She carefully slipped out of the dress and, still in her bra and panties, stood in front of the mirror, gazing at herself. She ran a hand over her stomach, feeling the smooth skin, the firmness of her round belly beginning to form. Her stomach was still barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but there was a definite bump if you were looking for it. She turned to the side, staring at herself in profile, imagining what it would be like in the coming months. How big would she get? Would it hurt to have her skin stretched so much? What would it feel like when the baby kicked? Sure, she had felt Krissy kick when she was inside her mother, but that feeling had been forgotten. Besides, maybe it would be different feeling her own baby kick inside her than it did from the outside. She ran her hand over her stomach again, wondering what it would feel like.

Krissy suddenly appeared in the doorway of her room and saw Haley. Her eyes widened and her mouthed opened a little. It wasn't like Krissy had never seen her in such a state of undress; they'd taken baths together. No, it was something else. "Mommy, you're getting fat," Krissy remarked with childish innocence as she pointed to Haley's stomach, not knowing how sensitive Haley was to the subject. A few seconds earlier, Lucas had appeared behind the little girl, hearing what she had said. Tears began to form in Haley's eyes as she ran to the bed and curled up into a ball. A sad expression immediately washed across Krissy's face and she walked over to the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry Haley, I didn't mean to make you sad," the little girl whispered, clutching onto the bedspread with her small fists. Haley sucked in a breath and turned to her sister, stroking the back of her head once, "I-I know honey. Why don't you go with Luke and he'll put you down for a nap, okay?" "Can I take a nap with you," she asked, looking up at her with deep brown eyes. "Okay, hop in," Haley responded as she pulled the covers down and Krissy climbed onto the bed, snuggling next to her.

"You come take a nap too, Daddy," she said, patting the vacant spot beside her. Lucas scooted in and then settled the covers over himself and the little girl, placing his hand on her back. "I love you Hay-Hay," Krissy mumbled through a yawn, "love you Luke." The two teens voiced the same sentiments to her as she drifted off into slumber. When they were sure Krissy was fast asleep, Luke said softly, "We need to tell her soon." "I know," Haley replied, stroking Krissy's light brown locks, "but I want to wait until the baby starts kicking, that way it will be more real for her." "That won't happen for another month or so. I don't think we should wait that long. She's going to notice that you're getting bigger and she's going to start asking questions…" "Yeah, but she'll ask even more questions if we tell her before she feels the baby kick. She won't really believe that there's a baby until then. I'm just trying to avoid confusion for her," Haley reasoned. "Okay, we'll wait," he responded as he entwined his fingers with hers and laid a gentle kiss on her forehead.

It was now early evening the next day and Haley was preparing for the night ahead. She took a warm bath, pouring in some scented bubbles and some soft, relaxing music as she soaked in the water. She dried herself off then began to create large, luscious curls in her hair, pinning part of them back in a flat barrette and leaving two spiraled tendrils of her bangs hanging down to frame her face. She then slipped into her dress, a small smile on her face as she slowly twirled around in front of her full-length mirror on the door of her closet. She smiled wider as she tenderly stroked her belly up and down for a moment before letting out a light shriek and giggle. She was so happy; she was going to senior prom with her best friend, graduating high school in less than a month, and she was carrying her best friend's, her boyfriend's, baby. She was living her dream life; given, she thought she'd be married to Lucas before they had kids, but she wouldn't trade this for anything. In her eyes, she had the perfect life. She had a mother who cared about her, Karen, her sister Krissy, an amazing boyfriend, and now a baby on the way. There was nothing more that could make her happier than she was right now.

She sat down on her bed and strapped on her shoes then stood and walked around in them for a minute, making sure they weren't too loose. Although never one to wear much makeup, she decided that because this was a special occasion, she would wear some. She applied gentle tones of eye shadow and a light blush on her cheeks then finished it off with a thin layer of light pink lipstick. Just as she was fixing her hair again, she heard a knock on her bedroom door. "Come in," she said as she looked in the mirror one more time. The door opened, revealing Lucas dressed in a black suit with a dark blue dress shirt underneath. His breath caught in his throat at the sight of her. Once he was able to speak he smiled and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You look beautiful," he whispered in her ear.

"Thanks, you look good too," she smiled as she straightened his tie. "Are you almost ready," he asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yeah, just let me grab- oh great, I have to go pee again. Remind me not to drink too much liquid or I'll be spending the whole night in the bathroom; then we won't be able to dance." "We can't have that, now can we," he smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her nose. She giggled then went to the bathroom, returning a few minutes later, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's get this show on the road!" Lucas turned from the picture he had picked up; he'd noticed it a few minutes earlier on her nightstand as he looked around her room. It was a picture of the two of them taken at the Spring Fling dance. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You know, it's kind of ironic that the night that picture was taken, our baby was conceived, isn't it? I mean, our hands were on your stomach in that picture even before the baby was conceived… Maybe it was some kind of sign? I don't know. It just seems weird," Lucas explained as he stared at the picture lovingly. "Yeah, I get what you mean," she responded softly as she too gazed at the photo.

After a few minutes, Lucas set the frame back on her nightstand and turned to her, "You ready to go?" "Yep," Haley replied as she wrapped a shawl around her shoulders then went to grab her purse. "Oh wait, here," he said as he took his hand in hers then slipped on a blue rose corsage. It was light blue with a darker blue outlining the petals surrounded by baby's breath; it matched perfectly with her dress. "How did you know what color to get… You peeked, didn't you!" He laughed, "No, I asked Peyton what color your dress was and she told me," Lucas responded. "Remind me to hurt her when I see her," Haley grumbled. "I wanted to get something that matched your dress. Would you have rather had something that didn't?" "You could've gotten a white rose; white goes with everything," she pointed out. "True, but I wanted to get you a matching one," he replied then wrapped an arm around her waist, "come on, we have to get going." "Where are we going," she inquired. "That's for me to know and for you to find out," he grinned. "You're not taking me to another expensive restaurant like last time, are you?" "Now why would I do that? If you ate anything like the three Big Macs you had the other day, I'd have to file for bankruptcy," he exclaimed as he laughed, a twinkle in his eyes. Haley swatted him in the arm, "I did not eat three Big Macs! And even if I did, two of them came up and found themselves in the toilet half an hour later!" Lucas scrunched his face in disgust, "Okay, are you trying to gross me out here? I think I've lost my appetite." "At least the bill will be less without you ordering any food. You just might not have to file for bankruptcy," she smiled sweetly. "Let's go, we'll never get out of here if we keep going back and forth like this," he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her downstairs to the front door.

"Don't drink the punch," Lucas warned as they made their way to the drink table, "it might be spiked like last time." "Believe me, I remember throwing it up into the toilet all too well," Haley gave a slight laugh as she grabbed a bottle of water. He grabbed one for himself and they walked back to their table where Peyton and Jake were laughing. "Hey guys," Haley greeted them as she sat down in the chair Lucas had pulled out for her. "Hey Hales," Peyton replied with a wide grin. Lucas and Jake bumped hands then sat back down beside their women. "So, where's Kris tonight," Peyton asked. "She's with my mom. Jenny," Lucas inquired. "With my parents," Jake responded.

"Your cheeks are red Haley, you're hot," Peyton said concernedly as she moved to place a hand against her forehead. "Yeah, she's smokin'," Lucas laughed as he placed a finger to her shoulder and made a sizzling sound. "I'm fine. It's just a little hot in here because there's so many people." Peyton nodded as she looked around the large banquet room the school had reserved for their prom, "Yeah, it looks like a full house tonight." Jake and Lucas moved together to the other side of the round table to discuss basketball and the two girls scooted their chairs closer to each other to talk quietly amongst themselves. "So, how have you been feeling? You're taking it easy right," Peyton questioned concernedly. Haley rolled her eyes, "When am I not resting? If Luke had his way, I'd be tied to the couch or the bed for the next four or five months until the baby is born. I'm doing pretty okay though. I still have morning sickness, but it should clear up in the next month or so. What's really starting to annoy me is the crying all the time and the having to go pee every five… damn it, I have to use the bathroom again. I'll be right back." Peyton stood, "I'll come with you."

Once the girls got back from the restroom, Haley and Lucas danced for a while, taking breaks every twenty or thirty minutes to get something to drink and make Haley rest for a little while. They were currently taking their third break from dancing and were sitting at the table, sipping their bottles of water as they watched Peyton and Jake out on the floor. "Jake and Peyton look good together," Haley mused as she saw Peyton smile at something Jake had said, "They would make a great couple; they practically are a couple anyway. They're always hanging out and Peyton is over at Jake's almost every night to watch Jenny when he works. They would be good for each other." "Yeah," Lucas replied, noticing Jake smiling too. He heard sniffling and turned to her, seeing her crying and dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, "Hales, what's wrong?" "I'm okay, really. It's just these damn hormones and it didn't help any when I just saw Peyton and Jake kiss," she responded, "I'm gonna go fix my makeup, be back in a few minutes."

When Haley walked out of the bathroom, Nathan spotted her and quickly strode over. "Haley," he said as he gently touched her arm to get her attention, the music probably too loud for her to hear him call her name. She turned around and a frightened look appeared in her eyes for a moment before a choked expression appeared on her face. "What do you want Nathan," she tried to muster all the strength she had to appear angry. She hadn't talked to him since the day they broke up; she wasn't given the chance to talk to him at the hospital because of Lucas. "I-I wanted to apologize, for what I did to you. I'm sorry I hurt you. I sort of want to explain myself. Would you mind if we danced," he asked, offering out his hand. Haley crossed her arms and glanced nervously in the direction of her table, wondering if Lucas had seen them, but they were out of eyesight. "Nathan, I-" "Please, just one dance," he asked, cocking his head to the side. "One dance, that's all you get," she replied as she took his hand and pulled him to a secluded section of the dance floor where there weren't a lot of people dancing.

Haley put a foot of space between their bodies as he took one hand and placed his other one awkwardly on the curve of her hip. She placed her other hand nervously on his shoulder, not sure where to put it. They began to move around in a slow circle to the soft song that came over the speakers. "So, you wanted to explain," Haley said a few moments later after trying hard to swallow the large lump in her throat. "Yeah. Well, you know how my parents were thinking about getting a divorce? They decided that they'd try marriage counseling and therapy first and the psychiatrist wanted to see me. I've been talking to her for a month or two now and she's helped me sort through some of my problems. She helped me sort out my feelings for my father. I needed to do some soul searching too Hales. She helped me understand myself better, who I am, why I am who I am. You see, my whole life I was controlled and abused by my father. He didn't get to fulfill his dreams so he was using me to accomplish them. He pushed me so hard, so fast… that's part of the reason why I overdosed on those drugs earlier this year; I just couldn't take it anymore. I wanted to be better than him, beat his score. I thought that maybe then he would lay off me, at least for a while, but that didn't happen…" Nathan paused to take a breath.

Haley looked over his shoulder to her table and saw that Lucas was watching them, his jaw clenched and his hand gripping the chair so tight that his hand was turning white. With one expression, Haley pleaded with him to not do anything, that everything was fine. She saw him sigh and look away for a moment before returning his gaze and slowly nodded in consent.

Nathan began to talk again, "The psychiatrist helped me realize that part the problem in why I am like this and why I act this way is because of my dad, the way he treated me growing up. She suggested that I take some anger management classes. I have been going and it's helped me… I just wanted say that I'm really sorry for hurting you all those times and for scaring you, especially the day you broke up with me. I would have never forgiven myself if I had gone through with it…" He moved closer to her and leaned his head on her shoulder and she felt his tears hot on her skin. She didn't know what to say so they just slowly continued to move to the music. She closed her eyes, wishing and imagining she were dancing with Lucas instead of Nathan.

Suddenly, Haley hiccupped and she placed a hand to her mouth. "Ooh, baby's giving me hiccups," she said, momentarily forgetting who she was with. Nathan's eyes widened and his jaw dropped open in shock, "What! Baby? Y-You're pregnant?" Haley now realized who she was with and now her eyes grew wide as well. "I-I…" she didn't know what to say. Nathan's mind reeled at this information. Ever since they had broken up, he had dreamed of when they would have sex and now he imagined Haley in a few months, beautiful and ripe with his child. His hold tightened on her arm, still shocked by the news, then looked down and rubbed his hand across her stomach. "Why didn't you tell me," he asked softly. "Please don't touch me there…" Haley whimpered as she tried to pull away from his grasp. Both Lucas and Peyton, who had been watching them intently, started to rush over at the sight of Haley trying to get away from Nathan.

"Why? I want to touch my child…" he reached to touch her stomach again, but she pulled away, although not able to go far because his hand was still on her arm. She screamed at him and thankfully the music was loud enough that most of the people, who were on the more crowded side of the dance floor, didn't hear them, "It's not your child! We never even had sex! You're delusional!" Nathan's grip tightened on her arm. "Nathan…you're hurting me…" she whimpered again. Lucas finally reached them first before Peyton, as she was in high heels. "Get your hands off her!" he yelled, and when Nathan didn't let her go, he screamed, "Haley, move out of the way!" She did as Lucas said and Lucas punched him in the gut. Nathan doubled over in pain and he let go of Haley. Lucas wrapped an arm around Haley's shoulders as he quickly guided her out of the establishment.

Peyton walked up to Nathan and punched him in the face then kicked him in the groin with her high heeled shoe, "I warned you to stay away from her." She then ran in the same direction her friends had gone, catching up with them near the truck. "Haley! Lucas! Wait!" she called out as she rushed over to them. Both turned around and she saw that Haley was crying. Peyton wrapped her in a hug and rubbed her back, "Are you alright?" Haley nodded silently in the crook of her neck. "Call me and we'll go do something tomorrow, okay," she inquired as she patted her back one last time. Haley nodded again. Peyton gave a sad smile to Lucas then departed back into the banquet room to find Jake.

Lucas helped Haley into the truck then got in on his side. He took her hand and kissed it; she started crying more than before. "He touched me Luke, he touched our baby…" she whimpered. He wrapped one arm around her body and pulled her close as his other hand pressed gently against her stomach. "Sh…baby, it's alright. You're okay, you're safe…" he whispered into her ear as he stroked her hair. She sobbed into his shoulder for several minutes until she calmed down only slightly. Lucas rubbed her back, "Why don't we go somewhere quiet, huh?" She nodded then wiped her face and blew her nose with a tissue.

He drove them to the café and led her inside, turning on one of the lights. Lucas got a coffee pot and put some water in it, placing it on the warmer so it would get hot. Once it was done he poured the steaming water into two mugs filled with chocolate powder mix. To finish it off, he added a dollop of whipped cream then handed one of the mugs to Haley. "Come on, let's go up to the roof," he placed his hand at her back and they walked up the stairs to the top of Karen's Café. He watched her concernedly as she sipped the mug of hot chocolate; it was one of her comfort foods. "Are you going to tell me what happened back there," he asked gently. "Can we please not talk about it right now," she begged him with a pleading look in her eyes. He nodded then took a long swallow from his drink, feeling the hot liquid travel down his throat.

She set her mug down on the table then walked a few feet away, near the edge of the roof and crossed her arms as she stared up at the sky. Lucas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his chin on top of her head. "It's beautiful out tonight," she said softly. He nodded and kissed her temple. A few moments later, she took his hands and entwined their fingers then placed both their hands on her stomach. "I love you," she whispered as she leaned back into his strong chest. "I love you too," Lucas responded as he kissed her cheek slowly, nuzzling her soft skin with his nose as he breathed her scent in deeply. They stayed like that for possibly another half hour before Lucas rubbed the sides of her arms, "It's getting a little chilly out and it's late. Let's get you home." She nodded and hugged him then followed him down the stairs.

Back at the prom, Nathan had gone off somewhere after Lucas and Peyton's little attack, but now returned staggering slightly. He was obviously drunk. He managed to get up onto the makeshift stage and took the microphone from its stand. When the DJ saw him up there, he slowed the music to a stop then put the spotlight on him.

Nathan cleared his throat the microphone screeched for a moment. Peyton looked up from where she had been dancing with Jake and saw him up there. A frightened look appeared in her eyes as she whispered, "Oh god no…don't do this, Nathan, please don't do this…" Then Nathan began to speak. "You all know who I am. I am Nathan Scott. You all know me, at least the part that I choose to show you. But do you really know some of the other people at this school? Take Haley James for instance. You all see her as the innocent little tutor that helps everyone out. What you don't see is that she is a slut. I dumped her and the first thing she does is run to her little Lucas, and they claim to be best friends…Have you guys seen them in the halls the last few weeks? They're all over each other! But you know what really tops it off? Tonight I just found out that my ex-girlfriend, Haley James, your innocent little tutor, is pregnant with my brother's child. There you have it folks-"

He was about to say more when Peyton roared angrily from the dance floor as she made her way up to the stage, "You ass hole! You didn't dump her; she dumped you!" She turned to the crowd, "You want to know why she dumped him? Because he abused her! And that is why I dumped him too! But you know what's worse? He hit her while she was pregnant! And then he would have raped her if I hadn't stepped in! She is not a slut either. Haley has only been with one person in her life and one only. And it's not this little shi t over here," she pointed to Nathan.

By now, Nathan was breathing heavily from the anger building inside him at what Peyton was saying. How dare she? He grabbed her arm and raised his hand to slap her. She jammed her pointy-toed high heeled shoe into his groin again. "Dammit," he screamed as he doubled over then Peyton pushed him onto the ground. "I knew those shoes were good for something more than hurting my feet," she smirked as she placed her hands on her hips then her expression changed to one of anger as she glared down at him murderously. She bent down close to his face as she grabbed his ear for emphasis, her nail digging into his cartilage, "I can do much worse than that, believe me. And if you ever go near Haley again, I swear I won't be accounted for my actions. Don't go near her, don't talk to her, don't look at her, don't even think about her. Because even in your dreams, she is better than you ever will be. Now go run away Dan, run away. Can't you see? Nobody wants you here anymore." She gestured to the crowd, who was also glaring at him, looking ready to beat him up too. Through his blurred vision from tears falling from his eyes, he saw all his friends and classmates, even people he didn't know, staring angrily at him with their arms crossed. Even Tim, his best bud since kindergarten, looked ready to pummel him. He sighed resignedly then slowly pulled himself up and staggered towards the doors, leaving the banquet room.

Everyone cheered and clapped loudly after he left. Peyton walked back down to Jake and he hugged her as she cried into his shoulder. "I-I can't believe he did that…Haley's going to be so upset when she finds out that everybody knows…" He said soothingly as he rubbed her back, "It would have come out sooner or later. Whether they said something or they waited until she started showing." They held each other for several minutes when Jake gently kissed her forehead and whispered in her ear, "I'm so proud of you…Nathan deserved to be put in his place, especially after all that he did to you and Haley…" "It's Haley that I'm more worried about, but thanks…" Peyton lifted her head and looked around, noticing that the music had resumed and couples had begun to dance again out on the floor. "Can we get out of here," she asked as she stared into his soft hazel eyes. He nodded then took her hand as they walked out of the dance to his car.

"This is becoming a habit, isn't it," Haley asked as she collapsed onto Lucas' chest, breathing heavily, referring to them having sex after dances. Lucas chuckled as he hugged her then kissed her lips. They laid there for awhile in companionable silence as their breathing returned to normal. Suddenly, Haley shivered and Lucas stroked her hair, "You should put some pajamas on. I don't want you getting sick from being too cold." She got out of bed and pulled on a pair of flannel pajama pants and a short sleeved shirt then slipped back under the covers beside him. He wrapped his arms around her and softly kissed her lips. "How are you feeling," he asked in a quiet tone, his voice becoming raspy with increasing tiredness. Haley smiled as she snuggled even closer into him, "Perfect. Happy. Nothing could make this moment any more perfect than it is right now."

"Close your eyes," he whispered. She looked up at him confusedly, "Why?" "Just close them," he replied as he placed two fingers on her eyelids then kissed her again. She finally did as told, wondering what he was going to do. Lucas turned slightly and grabbed a box from his nightstand drawer. He opened the box and took the object from it then placed the box back on the tabletop. He stared at it for a moment then enclosed his hand around it and turned back over to face Haley. "Keep them closed," he said. She nodded and he took one of her hands.

Lucas slipped something into her palm and closed her fingers over it before she could open her hand and see what it was. Haley's eyes flew open at the feel of the cold, metallic object in her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes. "What is it," she asked a little breathlessly, her heartbeat speeding up with the excitement starting to bubble within her. He smiled at her and gestured to her hand, "Open it."


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! SURPRISE! An EARLY update! Wait, stop and marvel at the concept! LOL This chapter is kind of short, but I really wanted to get this chapter out to you all because I know I left you guys hanging there at the end of the last chapter. Anyways, here's Chapter 11! I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – Sorry for the mistakes. I am updating this at one in the morning so please forgive me. My eyes are tired and the screen is kind of blurry LOL Maybe I should go to bed? Nah, I'll stay up and wait for some reviews.

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 11**

Previously on One Tree Hill…

_Lucas slipped something into her palm and closed her fingers over it before she could open her hand and see what it was. Haley's eyes flew open at the feel of the cold, metallic object in her hand. She looked at him with wide eyes. "What is it," she asked a little breathlessly, her heartbeat speeding up with the excitement starting to bubble within her. He smiled at her and gestured to her hand, "Open it."_

Haley slowly opened her hand, uncurling her fingers to reveal… a silver key. She looked up at him with confusion written in her eyes, "A key? What's this for?" He took her other hand and entwined their fingers as he stared deeply into her brown doe eyes. "I want you to move in with me," he said softly. "Luke, I already have a key to your house," Haley replied, beginning to hand him back the one he had given her, "I don't need another one." Lucas gently gripped his hand over hers, with the key still in her hand, "No, you don't understand…I want you to move in with me, into our own place. This is the key to our new…" He was abruptly cut off by Haley quickly sitting up, staring at him wide-eyed, "You got us an apartment! Why? We have this whole house to ourselves and you practically live here anyway! What about Krissy? She's lived here her whole life! We can't just uproot her like this and move her to somewhere new! She's only three years old for god sakes!"

He tried to rub her arm but she pulled away, "Hales, relax. It's okay. I've already talked to my mom and Kris about this. They're okay with it and Kris is even a little excited about it. I wanted to surprise you…" She glared at him angrily, "Well, congratulations! You get two thumbs up on a job well done!" Then Haley's eyes widened even more at this new information as it sunk in and her voice rose higher than before, "You talked to your mom and Krissy about this BEFORE me! I'm your girlfriend, Lucas! We're supposed to make decisions together! How could you make such a big decision without talking to me about this? Especially when it concerns me?" She placed a hand to her belly as she said this and then stood from the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "How could you," she said as she ran out of the bedroom. He quickly climbed out of bed and followed her and by the time he found her in the living room, she had slipped on a pair of shoes. "Hales," he began as he reached out to touch her. "Stay away from me," she whispered shakily before she ran out of the house.

As Haley ran from her house, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Peyton's cell. It rang a few times before the blonde picked up, answering groggily, "Hello?" "Peyton?" Haley cried. Peyton flew up into a sitting position a little too fast, beginning to feel dizzy from the head rush. "Haley? What's wrong? Where's Luke? Are you okay," she rambled concernedly at hearing her friend's broken, teary voice. "I-I'm fine. I just- I had a fight with Luke and… if he calls you, just tell him that I'm with you okay? I don't want to see him tonight…I just don't want him to worry about me, okay? I'm fine and I'm safe. Please tell him I'm with you," she begged. Peyton sighed, hating at having to lie to her friend, "Alright, I'll tell him. But will you tell me where you are?" "No, I don't want to see him; I don't want to see anyone right now… I just want to be alone by myself for a while…" Haley managed to get out. "Alright, be careful okay," Peyton replied worriedly, wondering what had happened between Haley and Lucas. "I will. Bye Peyt," Haley responded then hung up and shut her phone off so Lucas wouldn't be able to get a hold of her.

It had been half an hour since Haley had run out of the house and he still frantically paced the living room. He knew she would probably go to Peyton's house and he was waiting for her to call him. Finally he couldn't take it anymore and he reached for the phone, dialing her number. When she answered, he stumbled over his words in a rush to get them out, worried about Haley, "Peyton? Is she there? How is she? Can I talk to her?" "Lucas, calm down. She's here and she's okay, but she doesn't want to talk to you right now." "Please let me come over and see her, I need to talk to her," Lucas begged. "No Luke, she needs some time… please, just give her some time," Peyton pleaded with him, not wanting him to come over and not find Haley there, then asked, "what did you two have a fight about anyway?" "I-I asked her to move in with me," he responded morosely, remembering Haley's reaction to the news. "You what," Peyton yelled incredulously. "Yeah, Haley had pretty much the same reaction, but it was so much worse Peyton… She got really pissed at me because I had talked to Kris and my mom about moving into an apartment of our own before talking to her about it first. She looked so hurt, Peyt…I never meant to upset her… Please tell her that I'm sorry and I love her; and to please come home," Lucas said as tears of his own fell down his cheeks. "I will," Peyton nodded. They said their goodbyes then hung up. Peyton tried calling Haley, but all she got was her voicemail.

Haley didn't know where to go; she was too upset to even half notice where she was going. She raced around town through blurred vision from the tears constantly falling from her eyes. Soon, she found herself on the roof of Karen's café, huddled on top of the table with her knees pulled close to her chest, her head buried in her hands. Sob after sob escaped from her mouth as she thought of what Lucas had done. How could he have done this?

The next morning dawned and Lucas sat in one of the armchairs in the living room, his eyes red and puffy, still waiting. Haley had not come home last night and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. He slowly rose from the chair, his back and legs stiff from sitting in such an awkward position for so long and grabbed the phone from its cradle. He dialed Peyton's house and it was after the fifth or sixth ring, when Lucas was near ready to give up on her answering, Peyton's voice came over the phone, "Hello?" "Peyton, it's Lucas. I want to see her; no, I need to see her. Please Peyton, just let me talk to her…" he begged. Peyton's eyes grew wide as she gasped in shock, "What? You mean she didn't come home last night?" "No," he responded, panic beginning to rise within him, "Peyton, where is she?" "I-I don't know…she-she called me last night and told me to tell you that she was here at my house. Then she called me later and told me that she was going home… I'm so sorry Luke. I should have told you…" "You mean she didn't go to your house last night," Luke screamed incredulously into the phone, causing Peyton flinch on the other end of the line. "I'm sorry…" Peyton cried. "You get your ass out there and look for her dammit!" Lucas yelled before hanging up and forcefully throwing it onto the couch.

He breathed heavily as his mind raced with thoughts and anger built inside him at Peyton for lying to him. He then quickly called his mother and told her about the situation so she could watch Krissy a little longer because they had planned on picking her up early that morning. Lucas grabbed his jacket and bolted out of the house, all the places she could possibly be running through his mind. He checked her special places that she went to when she wanted to think like the park, the library, and a few more but no Haley. He went to the rivercourt, the docks, their bench by the riverfront, their special tree, but still Haley was not to be found there. He was becoming even more worried with each second that passed that he couldn't find her. A reminder sparked within him: the café, the roof. She loved to go up there to think. He didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before; it was one of her favorite places.

Lucas ran as fast as he could to the café and threw open the door that had stairs up to the roof; it was the back way. He raced up the three flights of stairs without even getting winded, the adrenaline pumping through his body so fast. He slowed when he reached the door to the roof and put his hand on the doorknob, hoping beyond hope that she was there. He didn't know where else to look; this was his last resort.

He turned the knob and slowly opened the door, walking onto the roof of the café. Lucas sighed in relief when he saw Haley sitting on top of the table, her legs curled to her chest and her arms wrapped around her shins, staring out at the blue expanse of the sky. He quietly walked up behind her. "I thought I might find you here," he said in nearly a whisper, his voice too choked up with emotion to manage anything else. She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to him; Lucas noticed the streaks of tears that had formed on her cheeks from her mascara. He walked over to stand a few inches in front of her. "You had me so scared… I called Peyton this morning and she said you never came to her house and I called my mom…and I looked for you all over…" tears came to his eyes as he hugged her then quickly pulled away, his eyes wide, "Hales, you're freezing! Have you been sitting out here all night in only your pajamas? How could you be so stupid! You could get sick! The baby might get sick!"

By now, Haley was crying again. "I'm sorry…" she whimpered, "I didn't think about…" Her eyes became wide as well and she gasped as she placed both hands on her stomach. She began to cry more forcefully as Lucas wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry…" she whispered. He began to stroke her hair and rubbed her back. "Sh, it's okay…Let's just get you inside and warmed up, okay?" he spoke to her gently as he placed one arm under her knees and supports her back as he picked her up and carried her down into the café. He carefully laid her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. Lucas softly kissed her cheek then tucked the blanket tighter around her and stood rubbing her shoulder. "I'll be back in a few minutes sweetie. I'm gonna go make you some hot chocolate to warm you up okay?" She nodded meekly as she wrapped her arms around her stomach, tears streaming down her cheeks.

While he waited for the pot of water to warm up, he called his mom and Peyton to tell them that he'd found Haley and she was alright. He got out a large mug and poured the hot water into it then added the chocolate powder mix and marshmallows. Lucas brought it out to her then sat down beside her, rubbing her shoulders to warm her body. "I'm sorry," she said, staring down into her cup. "It's not your fault. I should have sprung it on you like that. I wanted to talk to you about it, but I wanted it to be a surprise and I honestly thought you'd be okay with it. I mean, you and Kris living in that big house by yourselves…it just doesn't seem practical. Plus, I wanted to have a place that's just ours. We're having a baby together, Hales, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Usually you get married first then the place, but this time it's the other way around. I want our child to come home every day to our house, not yours or mine, _ours_. I just-"

Haley softly pressed her hand to his cheek to stop him then gently kissed his lips. She pulled away and bent her head, fiddling with her fingers in her lap, "I overreacted…" She continued on, "I-I was just upset because you just dropped this bombshell on me without warning and… this was a major life decision and you didn't include me in it…" "I know. I'm sorry too," he replied as he hugged her. "Promise me, no major life-changing decisions without talking to each other about it first, okay?" she asked. "I promise," he responded as he kissed her forehead. "Show me," she said a few moments later. "What," he inquired. "Show me our place," she replied with a soft smile, excitement in her eyes.

"We're almost there," Lucas said as he guided her with one hand covering her eyes and his other on her shoulder, "There are three steps here. Lift your foot." She did as told then the next few steps and he led her to the door. He opened it and brought her just inside it. "Keep them closed," he instructed. She nodded and he pulled his hand away, smiling as he looked around. "Open your eyes," he said softly into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She finally did and she gasped in shock at the sight. "Lucas! This is a house!" She exclaimed incredulously. "I know. I wanted to get an apartment, but Mom insisted that we get a house, especially since we'll have two little rugrats running around. Her exact words were, 'Consider it as an investment for my children and many, many grandchildren.'" Haley laughed as she stared up at him with wide eyes, "How many kids does she think we're going to have?" "Oh, I don't know, maybe ten or so," he grinned. "Uh uh, no way buster! Not unless you want to go through the pregnancy and give birth to half of them," Haley shook her index finger from side to side near his face.

He took her hand into his and said, "Come on, let me show you around. The place needed a little work, like sanding in some places, but we got it all done; Keith and Jake helped out when they weren't working and I did the rest." "So that's where you went off to all those times. How long have you been working on it," she asked. "Couple weeks," he responded. "How many bedrooms," she inquired as she looked around the spacious living room. She could just imagine Krissy on the floor playing with her toys and the baby beginning to crawl across the carpet then standing themselves up by holding onto the polished coffee table situated a few feet in front of the plush couch. "Four. One for us, one for Kris, the baby's room, and the last one we can turn into a study room, a guest bedroom, or eventually another bedroom when we have more kids," he said as he walked up behind her and placed his hand on her stomach, stroking it tenderly.

She turned to him still within his embrace and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him softly yet firmly and passionately on the lips. "I love you," she whispered, "thank you for all this…" "You're welcome. And I love you too," he smiled, "but this isn't the best part. Follow me." He grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway to one of the rooms. He slowly opened the door and Haley gasped in shock. The room was painted as if there was no wall separating the room from the outside world. A blue sky with a few white clouds covered the top half of the wall and bright new Spring grass lay along the border of the baseboards. There was also a crib, a rocking chair, changing table, and a few other necessary pieces of furniture they would need for the baby. "It-It's beautiful…" she murmured in a soft emotional voice, tears springing to her eyes as she slowly walked forward and ran her hands over the smooth cherry wood finish of the sleigh crib.

"I know it's all a little mismatched, but the furniture all came from different people, all of our friends. It's sort of an early baby gift…The crib was mine, Keith made us the changing table and dresser, Jake bought us a car seat and gave us some of Jenny's old toys that she doesn't play with anymore…" "What about the rocking chair? Where did that come from? Your mom?" Lucas shook his head, "Peyton. It was her mom's…" Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'O'. Lucas added, "The walls aren't finished yet; Peyton works on it when she gets the time, but I need to get you out of here; paint fumes." He guided her out of the baby's room and showed her the rest of the house. There was a large back yard and front yard, and like a true fairytale, there was a little white picket fence outlining the grounds of the front of the house.

By now, Haley was very excited. "When can we move in," she asked eagerly, her eyes bright with happiness. "Probably next weekend or this week after school and practice if we have time, but you have to stay out of the baby's room from now on. Peyton's going to keep painting in there and I don't want you to inhale the fumes," he instructed then added, "You know, once we move in, Krissy will ask why there's a crib and stuff in the baby's room. We need to tell her soon." "I know. I just wish that we could showher that there's a baby because she won't really understand and if she felt the baby kick then she might understand… but we'll tell her once we get settled into the house okay," she inquired then smiled as she looked down and rubbed her stomach, "Can you believe that in almost two more weeks, we'll be able to feel the baby move?" "I can't wait. It's going to be amazing…" he uttered softly as he placed his hand beside hers.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of The Sweetest Sin! I don't really have much to say today other than that this chapter is short, but it's FULL of major Laley fluff! I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **PG to PG-13

P.S. – You know what REALLY sucks? I have to miss One Tree Hill tomorrow night and I can't even tape it! Ugh! I have to go to this stupid Senior Awards Night at school and it doesn't even apply to me! So I have to miss my FAVORITE show all because I have to go to some boring school function. Grr… I HATE SCHOOL! Okay, done ranting now. On with the story!

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 12**

Monday came all too soon for the couple and they walked into school, hand in hand, with Krissy in Luke's arms. They dropped the little girl off at the daycare center and as they walked down the hall to Lucas' locker, Haley noticed people staring and smiling at them; a few people even came up to them to say congratulations. Haley's forehead scrunched in confusion. What were they congratulating them for? Suddenly, Peyton bounded up to them, a bright smile on her face. "Hey guys, I believe these are yours," she grinned as she pulled two crowns from behind her back and handed one to each of them, "I have your robes in my car, you can get them when we get out of school." "What are these for," Haley asked confusedly. "You guys were chosen Prom King and Queen. You beat out Brooke. She's a little down but she's happy for you guys," Peyton replied.

One of the students Haley tutored, Ashley, a freshman, came up to them. She was a shy girl; she wore glasses and her hair was long so that it covered part of her face. However, she had changed a little since Haley had been tutoring her; Haley had that kind of effect on people. Ashley pushed some hair behind her ear as she darted her eyes up to Haley's then back down again as she offered a small smile, "Congratulations on the baby Haley. I'm happy for you. Well, um, I have to get to class. See you on Wednesday?" Haley replied with a soft "Thanks", too shocked to say anything more. "Oh my god! That's what I forgot to warn you about!" Peyton exclaimed as her mouth opened in shock and she placed a hand to her forehead. "What," Lucas asked. "They-They know? How do they know," Haley asked shakily. "Who," Luke asked, still not knowing what they were talking about. "Prom night, after you guys left, Nathan came back and he was drunk…he got on stage and told everyone that you were pregnant…" "He WHAT!" Haley screamed incredulously, her eyes wide.

"Nathan…" Peyton began but Haley cut her off. "I heard what you said," she yelled. "Haley, calm down. All this stress isn't good for the baby, or for you," he placed a hand on her back and rubbed in circles. "You calm down! Everyone knows, Lucas! All the students, teachers, probably even the principal! How can you be so calm about this?" He placed his hands on her shoulders, "Look around you Hales. Everyone is smiling at us and congratulating us on the baby. We should be happy about this; now we don't have to tell everyone. Hales, this is a good thing." "I guess…" she replied unsurely. The bell rang and the couple kissed before parting ways, Peyton going with Haley to their first class together.

"Hales, where are you," Lucas asked when Haley answered her cell phone. He had looked for her at the café and her house, but she wasn't there. "I'm at the house," she replied. "Why are you at the house? You're not in the baby's room, are you? I told you-" "The paint fumes, I know. No, I'm not in the baby's room. I just wanted to see the house again…" Haley sighed and pouted as she stuck out her bottom lip, looking around the large living room where she was currently sitting on the couch, "Oh Luke, I don't want to wait a week or two to move in. I want to move in now. I want to wake up every morning next to you in our bed, I want to put Krissy to bed in her own room every night…I don't want to wait…Can we please move in? Please, please, PLEASE!" She said this last part in a whiny but excited voice, a puppy dog pout on her face. "Don't give me that look," Lucas said. "What look? You can't even see me," she replied. "Yeah, but I know you and right now I know you have that puppy dog pout on your face that you know I can't resist," he answered with a smile. "So does that mean we can move in," Haley asked eagerly.

"Yeah, I'll bring the truck over to your house so I can load some of the furniture and you can start packing clothes in boxes, but NO lifting any boxes, you hear me? Even boxes full of clothes," he instructed sternly. "Fine, spoil sport. How are we going to get anything done if you won't let me help?" "Haley…" he began. "Yeah, yeah, I know. No heavy lifting, take it easy, rest, and sit on the couch and look beautiful. You've told me that a million times already," she replied. "You ARE beautiful," Lucas responded, "I love you Haley." "I love you too Luke. Now get your lazy ass out of the locker room and meet me at my house in thirty minutes," Haley smiled. "Is that an invitation to a private party," Lucas asked huskily. "Maybe," Haley grinned as she responded in a seductive tone, "we've got to christen our new bedroom, don't we?"

"Dammit! Lucas!" Haley screamed in pain. Lucas rushed from the living room to the bedroom, concern and panic in his voice, "What? What's wrong? Are you okay? What happened?" He helped lower her onto the bed. "What happened is that I stubbed my toe on these damn boxes! They're all over the place! I can't live like this Lucas! I need neatness and organization, not clutter and mess!" He rubbed her toe then began to massage her feet, "I know. I'm sorry honey…" "It's been two weeks since we moved in Luke and I am still having to go dig through all the boxes to try and find something I need or Krissy needs…I-I'm just frustrated that hardly anything has been done and you won't let me help you…I know you've been busy with school and basketball and me with tutoring and the café and I really appreciate you taking this on all by yourself…but I really need to get this place cleaned up or I'll go crazy."

"I know honey," he replied, patting her leg, "there's no practice tomorrow so I'll grab Jake, Tim, and Peyton and they can help unpack and get everything in order while you're at the café tomorrow, okay?" Haley nodded, "Just don't let Tim go through my unmentionables, okay? I'd have to burn all of them and then I would have nothing to wear." "That's not such a bad thing," Lucas laughed and she hit him in the chest, "I'm kidding. Don't worry, he's not going anywhere near our bedroom." "Luke, I want some ice cream," Haley whined. "Okay, I'll go get you some Rocky Road from the freezer. How many scoops?" "No, I want Pistachio; with nuts and hot fudge," Haley responded. Lucas groaned, "Pistachio Hales? Yuck! This is the third time this week I've had to go to the store. This baby's gonna make me go bankrupt even before it's born!" "If you think you'll go bankrupt now, just wait until the baby starts growing like a weed and gains like two inches every week!" Lucas groaned again.

Later the next day, Haley was at the café when the phone rang and she went to answer it, "Karen's Café, this is Haley. How may I help you?" "Hey, it's me. How are you feeling?" Lucas asked concernedly. "I'm fine, just a little tired that's all," Haley sighed, "How's the house coming?" Lucas responded, "It's going good; we're almost done. Probably another hour or so." "Great! I can't wait to see it," Haley replied with a smile. "Well, I'll let you get back to work, but make sure you sit and rest okay? I love you," Lucas said. "Love you too. I'll see you when I get home. Bye," she responded. Lucas returned the saying then they hung up and Haley went back to waiting on tables.

Two hours later, Haley was cleaning up the counter after some customers that had just left. She picked up some plates to bring them to the kitchen when she suddenly felt a small fluttering in her stomach. Surprised, she dropped the plates back onto the counter and uttered a shocked, "Oh!" Karen, who was in the kitchen, heard the noise and came to investigate, a worried expression on her face. "Haley, are you alright," she asked. "I-I'm fine. I-I just need to go to the bathroom. You know, the whole baby-on-the-bladder thing," she rambled before untying her apron, "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Haley rushed to the bathroom and quickly locked herself in a stall; she pulled her shirt up and stared at her round and protruding stomach then rubbed her hand over it, lightly pressing it against the bump. Haley willed the baby to kick again and sure enough, a few moments later she was rewarded with a slightly stronger fluttering than before. Tears welled in her eyes as she brought a palm to her mouth, kissed it, then laid it back on her belly. "I love you baby," she whispered as tears fell down her cheeks. She sat down on the toilet and placed her hands on her stomach, stroking in tenderly for several minutes.

"Haley? You okay in here? You've been gone about twenty minutes…" Karen stopped when she heard crying. She walked over to where the sound was coming from and knocked lightly on the door. "Haley honey, what's wrong?" There was sniffling for a moment before Haley slowly opened the door and wrapped her arms around Karen's neck, crying silently into the crook of her neck. After a few more moments, Haley pulled back and stared at her with a watery eyes but a wide smile on her face. "The baby kicked, Mom, I felt the baby kick!" "Oh! I want to feel," Karen exclaimed in happiness as she moved her hand to place it on Haley's stomach, but Haley pushed it away. "No, I want Lucas to be the first. I want him to be the first to feel our child kicking." Karen nodded in understanding then hugged her, "It's amazing, isn't it?" Haley responded quietly, her voice choked with emotion as she rubbed her belly, "Yeah, it is." "Haley, I want you to go home, no more working today. No ifs, ands, or buts about it; I won't take no for an answer. This is a special moment and it needs to be shared with your boyfriend. Now go," Karen replied with a nod in the direction of the door. Haley hugged her again, "Thanks Karen." "No problem kiddo. Just promise me you'll let me feel the baby kick tomorrow," the older woman said. "I promise," Haley responded.

When Haley arrived home, the place was deserted. She went to the kitchen and found a note on the kitchen counter from Lucas saying that he'd gone to the rivercourt to play some ball and would be back in a couple hours. She walked around the house to the different rooms, except the baby's room, and looked to see that everything was in place the way it should be then went into the living room. She lowered herself onto the couch and grabbed a book off of the coffee table, opening it to the spot she'd saved with a bookmark. She read for a while, but promptly dozed off about half an hour later.

Lucas came home around five and he smiled at the sight of his beautiful pregnant girlfriend lying on the couch asleep. He gently sat down beside her and laid a tender kiss on her forehead, not wanting to wake her. Haley stirred and her eyes slowly fluttered open. She smiled when she saw her boyfriend leaning over her and stretched as she yawned. "Hi," she said sleepily as she positioned an arm under her head. "Hey you, how was your day," Lucas asked as he stroked her hair. "It was good," she replied. "What did you do? Was it busy?" "Wait on customers, clean tables, do the dishes, sit on my ass while Karen does everything. You know, the usual," she responded with a wry grin. "What are you doing home early? Are you feeling alright," he inquired concernedly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Karen sent me home because…well, something happened…" she smiled inwardly, envisioning his reaction to the news. "What? You didn't get hurt, did you? Are you and the baby okay," Lucas began to panic, fear in his eyes.

"We're fine," Haley responded as she rubbed the side of his shoulder. "Then what happened," Lucas asked confusedly. "The baby started kicking today," Haley stated as a large smile spread across her face. Lucas' eyes widened as he stared at her then her stomach. "The-The baby kicked? When? Where were you when it happened? Why didn't you call me? Is the baby kicking now," he asked as he placed his hand on her belly. "Not right now, probably still sleeping," she replied as she too placed her hand on the small round bump and began stroking it tenderly. He pushed Haley's shirt up slightly to expose her belly and he gently laid his head against it. Haley ran her fingers through his short blond locks, her heart melting at this endearing action. He drew circles on her stomach with an index finger and kissed it a few times.

Suddenly, Haley felt a sharp kick from inside. "Did you feel it," she asked giddily with bright eyes. "Yeah, I think the baby just bruised my jaw. This kid is gonna have one hell of a jump shot," he rubbed his jaw then leaned down and kissed her belly, "Hi baby. This is your daddy. I love you so much baby and your mommy loves you too. I'm so glad you came into our lives and I can't wait to see you…" Haley sniffled and she hugged him tight. "We need to tell Kris," Lucas said a few minutes later when she finally pulled away. She nodded and responded, "She's in her room taking a nap. You might as well wake her up; she won't be able to go to sleep later tonight if she takes a long nap." "I'll go get her; you stay here on the couch," he replied. "I don't plan on moving; I'm too comfortable," she smiled. "Be right back," he said as he disappeared from the living room down the hall to Krissy's room.

Lucas returned a few minutes later with a sleepy-eyed Krissy in his arms. He set her down on the couch beside Haley and the little girl curled up beside her sister, who was still lying down. Haley kissed her forehead and stroked her light brown locks of hair, "Kris sweetie, Luke and I have to talk to you about something really important okay?" She nodded, "Okay." "Well, Luke and I…we…" Haley began, not sure how to explain to a three-year-old. Lucas kneeled on the floor by the couch, "What Haley means is that you're going to be an aunt and…" He was abruptly cut off by Krissy looking at him, shocked and wide-eyed then she began to cry. "I don't want to be an ant! They're so tiny and I'll-I'll get squished," Krissy exclaimed then turned to wrap her arms around Haley's neck, "Mommy, I don't want to be an ant. Please don't make me be an ant!" Both teens had to chuckle at Krissy's innocence and naivety. "Oh honey, no… What Daddy means is that… Luke and I are going to have a baby…" "A baby? Where is it," Krissy asked confusedly as she looked around the room. "In Mommy's tummy," Lucas responded as he patted Haley's stomach gently. "How did it get there," she inquired as she cocked her head to the side. Both cheeks tinted a bright pink on the two teen's faces. Lucas ruffled her hair, "It's complicated sweetie. We'll tell you when you're a little older."

"But what about me," Krissy asked as she began to cry again, "When you have the new baby, I won't be your baby anymore…" "You'll always be our baby girl, no matter what. We love you and nothing is going to change that. We will love you just as much as the new baby," Lucas said as he rubbed her back. "Really? You promise," she sniffled as she rubbed her eyes with her small fists. "Promise," both said at the same time. "Okay," Krissy replied. "Would you like to feel the baby kick," Haley asked, a small smile on her face. Krissy nodded, eagerness shining in her eyes but also a shyness in her soft voice, "Could I?" Haley's smiled broadened as she lifted her shirt slightly and took Krissy's hand into her own, placing it on her stomach where the baby had last kicked. "Feel it," she inquired. The little girl shook her head no. "Just give it a minute or two, it'll come," she said. A few moments later, Haley felt the baby kick and she quickly moved Krissy's hand to the spot, "What about now?" Krissy nodded mutely, stunned at feeling something moving inside of her sister. She whispered in surprise, "There really is a baby in there…" "Yep," Lucas replied as he too placed his hand on Haley's belly.

Krissy pushed his hand away, "No Daddy, it's my turn." She turned back to Haley's stomach and laid her head on it as she began to talk, "Hi baby. I'm your Aunt Krissy, but I don't want to be called an ant so you can call me Auntie Kris. I'm going to teach you lots of things like…" she went on and on for long minutes as she talked to the baby, telling them about herself, the house, and even Luke and Haley. Suddenly, she stopped talking and she scooted up, wrapping her arms around Haley's neck. "I love you Hay-Hay." She then wriggled back down and placed a small kiss on Haley's belly, laying her head back on it as she moved her hand over the bump, "I love you too baby." She yawned then promptly dozed off, a smile on her sweet face. Haley and Lucas looked at each other and smiled then Luke wrapped an arm around her shoulders and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter! This chapter is totally MAJOR fluff! It's mostly filler, but oh well, filler's are usually pretty great between the drama. Oops! Did I give away too much? LOL Anyways, I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB. I wish I owned Bethany Joy Lenz though! She's my favorite actress in the whole wide world!

**Rating: **MA (R) for sexual content, just so all you little kiddies are warned.

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 13**

"Hey baby," Lucas said as he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, placing his hands on her stomach as he kissed her neck. Haley jumped, startled, then put a hand to her chest, "God Luke, you scared me." "Sorry," he replied. "Were you saying hi to me or the little one? Because I'm your baby and this is your baby too," she smiled as she placed her hand on her belly beside his. "Both," he grinned, "are you almost ready? I'll help you close the café up." Haley started to move out of his embrace but he pulled her in closer and pressed his lips softly, yet passionately to hers, "the café can wait a few more minutes." Haley chuckled against his mouth. "I missed you," he said after they parted. Haley wrapped her arms around his back and laid her head on his chest, "I missed you too."

They cleaned up the café and closed it down for the night then they decided to walk home because it was a nice night out. The air was cool but not too chilly and there was a gentle breeze blowing as they strolled through town, Lucas' arm wrapped around her shoulders and hers around his waist. "So, Senior Ditch Day is tomorrow. What do you want to do," he asked. "Lucas, I have never ditched a day in my life. Why should I start now?" "Exactly my point. You _never _ditch. It isn't gonna hurt if you miss one day. Besides, the school's not really going to care anyway; they're expecting it. Plus, graduation is in another few days and we have graduation rehearsal the day before that. We're almost home free Hales. Come on, live a little," he explained. "I did live a little, and look where that got me," she inquired with a raised eyebrow as she pointed to her stomach.

"Well, it got you an amazing, wonderful boyfriend, a nice house, and a beautiful little baby in about four and a half months. And did I mention an amazing, hot, sexy boyfriend," Lucas grinned. "Eh, you're not too bad," she replied. "Not too bad? Not too bad," Lucas exclaimed, his voice rising as he began to tickle her, "I think you might want to change your answer Miss James." "Lucas…stop…" Haley laughed as she squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp. "Nope, not until you change your answer," he grinned as he moved his fingers over her ticklish spots. "Luke…I'm going to pee in my pants if you don't stop…especially with my weak bladder…" "You know that doesn't work on me. You've used that a million times and you've never peed your pants…well, except for that one time…" Lucas laughed as he picked her up and laid her on the bed, climbing on top of her. He straddled her to keep her legs from kicking him. "Please…" Haley wriggled her body. "Nope, I don't think so. You haven't changed your answer yet," he replied with a grin as he laid down on top of her, trying to kiss her all over her face as she moved her head every which way. Haley felt the baby kick and suddenly a scared expression appeared on her face as she screamed, "Lucas, STOP! The baby…." She didn't have time to finish because Lucas interrupted her, sitting up, alarm coursing through every part of his body. "Oh my god! I-I can't believe I forgot…Hales, I am so sorry. Are you alright? Is the baby okay," he asked worriedly as he gently brushed her belly with the tips of his fingers.

"I-I think so," Haley said shakily, her breathing labored not only from the tickling but from her fright as well. She placed both her hands on her stomach as she slowly sat up. "Are you sure," he inquired, placing his hand on her stomach as well, biting his bottom lip nervously as tears came to his eyes. He would never forgive himself if he hurt Haley or the baby. And especially after all those times he hadn't wanted to make love to her for fear of crushing the baby and here he was just tickling her and he had practically thrown himself on her. She nodded after she felt the baby kick again, reassured that no harm had been done. He wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry honey…" Lucas began to cry as he buried his head in the crook of her neck, kissing her collarbone. "Sh…it's alright…" she murmured over and over again as she stroked the back of his head to comfort him.

He slowly pulled away a few minutes later and placed both his hands on her stomach, leaning down and kissing it gently, "I'm so sorry baby. I didn't mean to hurt you if I did. I love you so much, baby…" He then looked up at Haley, who had tears in her eyes, and he wasn't sure whether they were happy tears or because she was still scared. She placed her hand behind his head and pushed it towards hers, softly kissing his forehead then his lips. "I'll make it up to you Hales, I swear I will. Tomorrow. We'll leave Kris with my mom and it'll just be you and me…" "Sh…" she ran her fingers through his hair, "let's just go to bed, okay? I'm tired…" He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose as he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

The next morning Lucas woke to find Haley still sleeping peacefully beside him. He carefully kissed her hair, not wanting to wake her; she needed to rest. Her shirt had ridden up over her stomach while she slept and he gently splayed his hand over her belly protectively, smiling when he felt the small movements of his child from within. He scooted closer to her and closed his eyes contentedly as he laid back on his pillow for several minutes. He heard a slow creak and he looked up, seeing Krissy standing by the doorway. He smiled and gestured her over to the bed, putting a finger to his lips, signaling her to keep quiet. Krissy walked over to Haley's side of the bed and she put her hand next to Lucas', kissing the bump softly. "Morning baby," she whispered quietly to Haley's stomach then walked over to Lucas' side and climbed up on the bed beside him. He wrapped an arm around the little girl and she snuggled into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

It was nearly eleven when Haley finally roused from her slumber, yawning as she stretched her limbs. She stood from the bed and immediately she felt the nausea, bile rising in her throat. She rushed to the bathroom, sinking to her knees on the floor in front of the toilet as she purged what little contents were left in her stomach from the night before. She remained in the bathroom for another ten or fifteen minutes until she could throw up no more then she carefully rose from the floor and made her way to the kitchen for some water. As she sipped her glass, she noticed a note on the counter from Lucas saying that he had taken Kris out for breakfast then to the park so she could sleep and that he would drop Kris off with his mom and would return before noon with lunch. Haley's stomach lurched at the thought of lunch. She covered her mouth and breathed steady, calm breaths through her nose to try to make the nausea subside. Once the feeling had passed, she dampened a washcloth and laid down on the couch, laying it against her forehead as she sighed. She hated feeling so sick like this.

Half an hour later, Haley was still lying on the couch when Lucas entered the house, a bag of food in his hands. He noticed the washcloth on her forehead and became concerned. Lucas sat down beside her and asked worriedly, "Hales? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Haley wrinkled her nose as she responded, "I'm fine, just morning sickness." "So I guess you don't want any food then, huh," he inquired. "No, not particularly," she replied with a weak grin. "Well then I guess I'll save it for tomorrow because tonight we have the house to ourselves and I am cooking you dinner Miss James," he smiled. "Oh really? And what do you have planned other than dinner," she asked with a grin. "Dessert," he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. Haley laughed loudly as she grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down to meet her lips in a passionate kiss.

After a few minutes, Haley moved so Lucas could lay down on the couch and she lay down on top of him, neither breaking their kiss. Chuckling, she whispered against his mouth, her voice husky with desire, "How about we have dessert a little early…" "I don't have any problem with that," he smiled as his eyelids fluttered up and down, pleasure rising within him. "I knew you wouldn't," she smirked as she captured his lips with hers again. Haley began to unbutton the front of his shirt and slid it from his shoulders then set to work on pulling his white wife beater tank top over his head. Lucas ran his hands over her body, caressing every place he touched; her soft skin, her silky hair, stroking her cheeks. He slowly pulled her shirt off of her and cupped her face in his hands, kissing her gently. Haley hovered over him, her hands on either side of his head, which made her breasts so enticingly close to Lucas' face. He slowly brought his hands up to caress her breasts through the lacy material of her bra then looked up at Haley, asking silent permission. She smiled and nodded, giving him all the approval he needed before quickly unhooking the front of the bra, causing her breasts to fall as he pushed the material to the side, so close to his mouth. He kissed each breast then gently began to massage them, rubbing around her areola and nipple, causing them to harden and peak.

He flicked each nipple, teasing them with his tongue, until he took one into his mouth and Haley moaned in pleasure. "Oh god…" she murmured. He started to suckle it tenderly then harder and faster, Haley's almost incessant moans spurring him further on. Haley began to fiddle blindly with the button and zipper of his jeans, finally succeeding in undoing them, and she slipped her hand in the opening of his boxers, grasping his shaft with her small hand. Lucas' hips bucked in pleasure and surprise as he uttered, "Jesus…Hales…" She gently dragged her fingernails up and down his shaft, his penis becoming even more erect and beginning to swell as she moved her hands over it, stroking it. Haley wriggled out of her shorts and panties then pulled down Lucas' pants and boxers down further until they were out of the way. She straddled his waist as she kissed down his chest, his six pack, pelvic bone, then laid a soft kiss on the tip of his shaft. She kissed her way down it and back up, slowly licking around the head. Lucas groaned as his head lolled back in pleasure, feeling her grab his shaft and squeeze it with alternating force. He felt her move a little and he opened his eyes in surprise when he felt her slide him inside of her, but only partially.

Haley began to tease both herself and Lucas as she slipped the head of his penis just beyond the opening of her folds then pulled it back out only to push it back in again. She continued this a few more times when she heard Lucas' voice, his breaths heavy and labored as his eyes, hazy with desire, slowly moved up and down, "Stop teasing me…Hales…please…I need…you…I need to be…inside you…I'm almost there…" She leaned over him and placed a soft kiss on his open mouth, emitting ragged breaths. "Not just yet," she whispered seductively. She then scooted down a little bit and ran her hands over his chest before she gently nibbled on one of his nipples. He groaned in pleasure and his hands sought her breasts, cupping them in his hands as he teased and rubbed her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She performed the same treatment on his other nipple then she moved to stand on her knees as she scooted up a little bit. He had his eyes closed in ecstasy and they shot open when he felt Haley slide him inside her all at once with one quick downward thrust. Both let out long, pleasurable moans, emitting happy little sighs at Lucas finally being inside her. Lucas nearly lost it right there with Haley's quick, sudden force, but was able to contain the urge for release.

They began to move in a rocking motion, their bodies melting together into one as their arousal increased and the familiar feeling of heat and tingling sensations rose throughout both their bodies. Lucas felt himself throbbing painfully within him as he tried to wait for Haley. When she finally did, Lucas quickly but carefully flipped them over so Lucas was on top, bracing his arms on either side of her so he wouldn't put his weight on her stomach. Then he drove into her, fast and hard, Haley meeting his upward thrusts with her own downward thrusts. They both came at the same time and called out each other's names as their bodies arched into each other in release.

Haley scooted over a little and Lucas collapsed beside her, breathing heavily. She snuggled up to him and wrapped one arm around his torso, toying with the small hairs on his chest with the other. They laid there for several minutes as they relaxed in each other's embrace, their breathing and heartbeats returning to normal. "That," Lucas began with a dazed look in his eyes, "was amazing…" "Yeah…" she replied then carefully got up from the couch and began to walk into the kitchen. "Where are you going," he called out. "I'll be back in a minute, just stay there," she responded back. He waited a few minutes and was about to follow after her when she appeared in the living room, a can of whipped cream in her hand and a bowl of something, of what he wasn't sure, in her other hand. She had a mischievous look on her face and she walked backwards down the hall towards their bedroom, gesturing seductively with her finger for him to follow. She didn't have to ask twice. He immediately stood and chased after her. She giggled as she ran into the bedroom and set down the contents next to the bed and Lucas came in, swooping her into a hug and kissing her passionately on the lips. They parted a few seconds later and she gently pushed him back onto the bed, climbing on top of him as she grabbed the can of whipped cream. She laughed and leaned down to kiss him once more, shaking the can as she whispered in his ear, "Dessert will never be the same…"

Later that day, Lucas and Haley were cuddled up in their bed, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking, for a third time. Lucas chuckled at a thought. "What are you laughing about," Haley asked as she raised her head from his chest. "I was just thinking that it's a good thing you're already pregnant because I think we would have created another baby tonight if you weren't. I mean, god Hales, you were like the Energizer Bunny. You just kept going and going…" Haley giggled, "Aww, poor baby. Did I tire you out? The second trimester is when you're supposed to start feeling better and more energetic. The morning sickness is supposed to subside, but that hasn't happened yet. Example, this morning," she replied with a disgusted look on her face. "It'll get better sweetie," he rubbed her shoulder, "it's starting to subside; you haven't been throwing up as much." "True," she responded, "I just wish it would go away. I don't like feeling the way I do after I throw up. It's not a nice feeling," she replied.

"Are you feeling sick now," he asked. "No, just completely and utterly happy," she smiled up at him then kissed his lips slowly. Lucas groaned, "Don't get me started again Hales, I'm too tired for another round. You tuckered me out from the last three." Haley giggled again, "I wasn't trying to start anything." "Sure you weren't," he prodded jokingly, then asked, "Hey, you hungry?" "I could eat," she nodded then smiled, "those three workout sessions made me really work up an appetite." "What do you want to eat? I'll cook," he offered. "Hmm, I don't know. Surprise me," she grinned as she kissed his cheek. "Okay," he replied as he stood and walked to the kitchen, Haley following behind him. Lucas tied on an apron and Haley chuckled to herself. She kissed him again and he asked, "What was that for? Not that I'm complaining or anything." Haley smiled as she laughed, "Your apron says 'Kiss the Cook'." "I knew that apron was good for something," he chuckled. "Yes, preferably with you in it and wearing nothing under it," she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "God, you are so horny," he remarked with a grin. "It's the hormones," she replied innocently. "It's not just the hormones babe, believe me," he glanced at her and shook his head, a knowing smirk on his face, as he pulled some cans from the cupboard.

"Mmm, that is so good," Haley moaned in satisfaction as she tasted some of the sauce on the wooden spoon Lucas had offered to her. "Yeah, I can make a mean spaghetti; it's one of my specialties." "Hey, did you get the mail today when you came home," she inquired. "No, why?" "Oh, nothing really. I just realized that we should be getting back letters from the colleges we applied to soon. I was just wondering what ones I got into." "We need to decide about that," he responded as he stirred the sauce. "About what," she asked with a raised eyebrow. "College. What we're going to do after the baby is born," he replied. "I've already thought about it. I'm going to take a year off of college so I can take care of the baby and then I'll go. I mean, the baby won't even be born until late August, early September. It's just better this way. I'll stay home with the baby and by the time I go back to college, Krissy will be in Kindergarten and Karen can play grandma while we're in class." "Hales, you shouldn't have to stay home with the baby and Krissy all by yourself. That's what I'm here for. We're in this together, remember," he asked as he walked over and placed both his hands on the sides of her stomach. "I know, but you'll probably get a basketball scholarship and you'll have to go to school full time and play if you want to keep the scholarship, plus you'll have practices and games… It's just easier for me to be home than you." Lucas pouted and his face darkened in sadness, "You sound like I'm never going to be around, like I won't be in your lives anymore because I'll be too busy playing ball instead of spending time with you and the kids." "You know I didn't mean it like that," she stroked his cheek. He entwined his fingers with hers, "I know."

"I'm gonna go get the mail. Be right back," she responded after placing a quick peck on his mouth. She returned a few minutes later, mail in hand, as she sifted through the small pile of envelopes. "What've we got," he inquired. "Bill, bill, credit card offer, coupons…hmm, there's something from the school here. I wonder what it is. It's probably something for the daycare. I heard they may be letting the kids out a few days before graduation so Kris will probably have to stay with your mom at the café the last few days we have school," Haley responded as she began to open the envelope. She read the letter and her eyes bulged in shock and she gasped as she placed a hand to her chest, "Oh my god!" "What? What does it say Hales," Lucas asked concernedly as he walked over to her. "I-I…they chose me as valedictorian…" she responded breathlessly, trying to steady her breaths and calm down from the shock. "That's great Hales," Lucas exclaimed as he laughed and hugged her, "congratulations!" "I can't believe they picked me…" she responded. "Why wouldn't they? You've gotten straight A's practically through all four years of high school. You deserve it," he kissed her cheek. Haley smiled as she turned to him and jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist as she shrieked joyously, "I'm valedictorian!" They laughed as Lucas gently spun them around then Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his lips. "Everything is perfect…" she murmured against his mouth.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I finally got a chapter for TSS done! It's freakishly short but it's all I could think of with that awful writer's block locking my brain up. Lots of fluff in this chapter but drama too. You guys are gonna be in for a doozy at the end, so beware! I might have a new chapter up for Finding Our Way Back, FOWB, tomorrow but we'll see. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out for ITPOAA because I have writer's block for that story too. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T (PG to PG-13)

The Sweetest Sin 

**Chapter 14**

Haley stood in front of the mirror, slipping on the dark blue robe over her dress. It was graduation day. She had been preparing for this day for four years and now it was here. Lucas came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her left cheek, "You look beautiful." "Thanks. You do too, you know, since we're wearing the same thing," she chuckled. They kissed for several moments until Haley pulled away, a grimace on her face as she made her way to the bathroom. She coughed into the toilet as Lucas held her hair and rubbed her back in soothing circles. "Morning sickness," he inquired when she sat up. "More like nerves. I'm nervous about giving my speech up in front of all those people." "You'll do great, I know it," he responded. After a few minutes, Lucas helped her up and they returned to the bedroom for Haley's cap and purse before leaving the house.

They met up with Karen at the school so she could watch Krissy then they took their seats in their respective places of alphabetical order. Lucas was glad Nathan had decided not to show up for the ceremony because he wasn't sure he would be able to restrain himself from pummeling him into the ground. Behind him in the family section, he could see that Dan was fuming at realizing his son wasn't there. So he just idly sat there, tapping his foot in irritation and his face turning a bright cherry red, muttering something to himself, no doubt thinking up ways he could murder his son for embarrassing him like this. Lucas smirked.

A few rows ahead, Haley was dabbing her eyes with a tissue and Jake, who was sitting beside her, looked at her concernedly, "Haley, are you alright?" "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just these damn hormones," she let out a slight laugh then patted him on the leg, "Really, I'm okay." She looked back to Lucas and smiled when their gazes met. Then she turned back to face the front when she heard the squeal of the microphone.

Introductions were made and teachers talked about the students of the senior class and then the principal moved to the podium. "Ladies and gentlemen, next we will have our Class of 2005 valedictorian make a speech. This year's valedictorian is a remarkable young woman who has excelled in every subject and has even tutored many of you students here tonight. She has shown dedication, achievement, perseverance; all of the traits we strive for here at Tree Hill High School. Before she makes her speech, we would like to present her with a special plaque. Haley James, come on up here." The principal smiled as he gestured her to the stage.

Sitting in her chair and listening to the principal's words, even more tears rose in her eyes and she quickly tried to wipe them away. In the last week, Haley had been having a little trouble getting up out of the bed and chairs so it had been arranged that Jake would escort Haley to the stage and up the steps. Even though Lucas wanted to be the one to do this, there were strict orders of tradition for ceremonies, such as staying in alphabetical order. So Jake stood and helped Haley out of her chair then led her down the aisle towards the steps to the stage. He guided her carefully up them then stood off to the side, waiting for when she needed to be escorted back down.

Haley's cheeks were tinted a light pink in embarrassment that she'd needed someone to help her out of her chair but it was quickly replaced with an overflowing sense of pride and accomplishment as she accepted the plaque from the principal and shook his hand. She walked over to the podium and was silent for a few minutes. She stared at Lucas who mouthed to her, "I love you and I am so proud of you." She tried to compose herself and remember her speech, but she kept coming up blank; she began to panic. Haley decided that she would just try and wing it. "Well, um, thank you so much for this award. I feel really honored to have received it. I had this whole speech planned out and everything I wanted to say to you all, but right now it's flown out the window so forgive me if I stutter or make awful jokes because I'm sort of caught off guard here."

The audience laughed and after a few moments of silence, Haley began. "Okay so I know that all of you want to get out of here and go party, celebrate our release from this prison we call Tree Hill High, but as valedictorian, I have an obligation to give you the whole 'You're adults now and this is the rest of your life' inspirational speech or I'll get my head chopped off, so here goes. We are gathered here today amongst all our friends, family, fellow classmates, teachers to celebrate a momentous occasion, our graduation…" She continued on with her speech until there was nearly not a dry eye in the house; even the boys and the adults had shed a few tears. They all gave her a standing ovation as she and Jake made their way back down the steps and resumed sitting in their seats. Then came the time where they would dispense the diplomas. They called each of the students by name and when they were done, all the graduates shouted and tossed their caps up into the air.

Lucas met her in the aisle and he wrapped her in a tight hug, swinging her gently around in a circle. "We did it!" Haley exclaimed happily. "Yes we did," Lucas responded as he leaned his head in, capturing her lips in a soft, passionate kiss that lasted several minutes. "Get a room you two," Peyton remarked as she bounced up to them. Lucas smirked, "We would, but we've already done that. We've got a whole house actually, and we've got it all to ourselves tonight." Lucas winked at Haley and smiled. "Whoa, too much info!" Peyton replied as she shook her head and stuck her fingers in her ears. Haley laughed and hugged her friends, as did Lucas, all congratulating each other.

Krissy came at them in almost a blur of speed and she launched herself at Haley's legs, nearly setting her off balance. "Whoa there Squirt, be careful. We don't want to knock Mommy over," Lucas replied. "Congratulations Haley, Luke," Krissy said as she hugged Haley's legs then kissed her belly and patted it gently, responding with a smile, "Baby graduated too." Both Haley and Lucas smiled at each other in awe of the child's sweetness then smiled down at Krissy. Haley leaned down carefully and picked her sister up, placing her on her hip as Karen neared the group of friends. "Krissy, there you are! You know not to run off without telling me first," Karen said firmly. "Sorry grandma, I wanted to congratulate Mommy and Daddy and Baby," Kris responded so innocently that she had to laugh. "That's okay sweetie, just tell me next time," Karen replied as she ruffled her light brown locks of hair. Karen hugged both her son and Haley, "Congratulations you two!" :"Thanks Mom," Lucas patted her back. "Thank you Karen," Haley responded.

Later that evening after the graduation party Karen had thrown for them at the café, Lucas and Haley laid on the couch, talking over the events of the day and the coming months. Both were laying on their sides and Lucas' back was to the couch, Haley resting against him as he lightly ran his fingernails in soothing movements over her bare belly. Haley took his free hand into her own and kissed the back of it then kissed the side of his jaw. "I love you," she murmured, a soft smile gracing her lips as she gazed up at him with heavy eyelids. "I love you too Hales," he responded as he returned the kiss to her hand then tenderly captured her lips with his own.

Both sighed contentedly when they pulled away and Haley snuggled closer into his body. "We have that doctor's appointment on Saturday," she mumbled sleepily, beginning to drift off. "You nervous," he asked, starting to feel sleepy himself. "Not really, it's just a routine checkup," she responded, closing her eyes fully. "Do you think we'll be able to find out the sex of the baby," he inquired, "do you want to know?" "Yeah, I want to know, but I think it's still too early to find out." He flattened his hand and rubbed her belly, "What do you think is in here?" "I don't know. I don't really care as long as it's healthy," she mumbled. "Me too," he kissed her forehead and Haley yawned. "Come on, let's go to bed. You must be exhausted," Lucas slid out from behind her and carefully picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, which was proving to be a harder task as the weeks went by. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Haley was out. Lucas stroked her cheek for a few moments before wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes as well.

Saturday came around and the couple headed to the hospital for their doctor's appointment. They went to the maternity ward and Lucas sat while Haley went to sign in on the list then she returned to his side. Haley took his hand in hers and she leaned her head against his shoulder. Lucas gently rubbed her stomach with his free hand, "How are you feeling?" Haley had gotten sick that morning and she'd spent nearly half an hour in the bathroom before she finally felt semi-well enough to come out. "Sick, tired. Sick and tired of this morning sickness," she responded with a heavy sigh. Lucas noticed people staring at them and shaking their heads. This made him mad. What right did they have to judge them? They probably thought they were just another teen statistic. They didn't know the story. They didn't know that this baby had been conceived out of love and passion between two people, it shouldn't matter what age they were.

"It'll get better sweetie," he rubbed her back. A nurse appeared and called Haley's name. The nurse glared at him and Lucas shuddered a little. Feeling this reaction, Haley looked up at him, "What's the matter?" "That nurse was looking at me all evil like. You know the old expression, 'If looks could kill?" Well, this one was more of a 'If looks could castrate' kind of look. Keep me away from her," he whispered to her as they made their way down the hall. "Oh, well that's because I told her the father of my baby was a sexy man-whore who couldn't keep it in his pants for two minutes and that's how I ended up like this. Then I pointed to you," she smiled sweetly at him. "Excuse me, but who wanted to go at it three times in one night last week," he asked with a smirk on his face. "Wasn't me," she replied innocently, "must be your other girlfriend I don't know about." "Oh," he replied, covering his chin with his hand and tapping his cheek with an index finger as if he were thinking, "then again, maybe it was." Haley lightly shoved him in the shoulder, "Luke!"

He laughed as they entered the exam room and the nurse glared at him again. This caused him to stop and gulp. The nurse handed Haley a gown and nodded towards the bathroom. "Change into this. Doctor will be just a few minutes," she responded in a clipped tone. One the old woman left, Haley replied, "Jeez, what's up her ass? People like her shouldn't work in a maternity ward. She ruined my happy mood." Haley pouted and Lucas hugged her.

Haley went to go change into the gown and when she came out, Lucas helped her up onto the examination bed. Soon after the doctor entered, a smile on her face. "Hello Haley, good to see you again. And you must be the father," she questioned as she offered her hand out to him. "Lucas," he shook her hand. "Well Haley, how have you been feeling lately? Morning sickness, fatigue?" "The morning sickness hasn't gone away yet but it seems to have become less frequent although I do throw up more and for longer periods of time to make up for it. I get tired more easily and I sleep a lot but it doesn't help and I look and feel like a beached whale and I-" "Did I mention she complains a lot," Lucas smiled, "and she snores and moves around a lot…" "Lucas, I do not snore!" Haley exclaimed, swatting him in the shoulder. "Oh, and she's abusive too." Dr. Carter laughed, "Okay you two, settle down. Haley, have you experience any cramps or pain of any kind in your stomach or lower abdomen?" "No," Haley responded. "Good, that's good. Okay Lucas, you're going to have to step out of the room. I have to do an exam," Dr. Carter said as she sat on the stool by the end of the bed where Haley's legs were and pulled on some gloves. Lucas' eyes widened at the realization of what she was about to do. He gently squeezed Haley's hand and kissed her softly on the lips, "I love you. Call me back in when you're done?" She nodded and he left the room.

It had been nearly half an hour since he'd left Haley with the doctor and he was still sitting in the waiting room. What was taking them so long? He began to panic. Had the doctor found something wrong? Wouldn't they have called him back in if there was? He was worried. Lucas pressed his hands together against his mouth as his legs bounced up and down in nervousness. Why weren't they telling him anything?

He saw Haley exit the hospital exam room with shock written all over her face, her eyes as wide as golf balls and she had one hand on her stomach. She walked towards him like a zombie, taking slow, small baby steps. However, she did not stop and past Lucas without even noticing him. He quickly grabbed their belongings and raced after her, gently grabbing her arm in extreme worry as they walked out the sliding doors of the hospital, "Hales sweetie, what's wrong? Is-Is there something wrong with the baby?" She still had a hand on her stomach and was walking like a zombie as they headed to his truck. "Triplets…" she whispered, her eyes glazed over by the tremendous shock.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm back with an update for TSS! I wrote this chapter pretty quick because I already had most of it in my head and written out, so here it is! There's major drama in here so beware! I'll be working on an update for FOWB next, but I'm not really sure to where I want to go with the next chapter so I'm not sure when it will be out. Anyways, here's the new chapter for TSS! I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T

P.S. – _**I GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL TODAY! YAY! **_

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 15**

Previously on One Tree Hill…

"_Triplets…" she whispered, her eyes glazed over by the tremendous shock._

Lucas took a sharp intake of breath at her words and swallowed, HARD, "What?" "Triplets…" she repeated quietly, still in her trance, "three babies, three cribs, three car seats, three million diapers, three babies…" Lucas' head began to swim as her words sank into his brain. He would be a father to triplets at eighteen. "God Luke, when you said you were fertile… You topped Dan Scott but all with one girl…" she said still in that soft, dazed voice.

Lucas helped her up into the cab of the truck and got in on his side then they both sat there for several moments, letting everything sink in. After a few minutes, Haley turned to him and saw his equally dazed expression, wide eyes, and choked features, like he'd swallowed a golf ball. Haley burst out laughing at this and he turned to her, "What?" "T-That look on your face…" she managed to get out through gasps of air. He finally caught on, "You mean you're really not pregnant with triplets?" She nodded in response, "No, I'm not having triplets; just one." Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her, "Thank god, but just to let you know, I would have been just as happy with three babies." "I know, but it was so funny to see that look on your face; it was priceless," Haley chuckled again as she patted his cheek.

He placed his right hand on her belly and rubbed it, "So how is our little one doing?" She smiled sweetly and set her hand next to his, "Our baby is doing just fine; healthy as can be. The doctor is a little worried about me though; I'm a little underweight so he wants me to eat more. He said that the baby could be born premature or born small if I'm too underweight. It's not something to over-worry about, but something we need to keep an eye on." "I'll make sure you eat more. First we'll go tell my mom then we can go to the café and I'll make you a heaping one-pound burger," he replied. "Yeah, and it'll go straight to my thighs. I've got to eat healthy, you know. Like vegetables and fruit? Ever heard of those?" "What, a burger has vegetables. It has lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles for vegetables, the burger for meat, dairy from the cheese and you got your grain from the bun. That's almost all the food groups," he responded with a grin. She just shook her head in amusement and laughed, "Come on, let's go tell your mom about the baby."

Lucas turned to her with a mischievous glint in his eyes and a devilish smile on his face, "I think we should play that little joke on my mom that you played on me. That would be hilarious." "No Luke, that's mean," she gently hit him in the chest. "You did it to me, so why can't I do it to her," he questioned then whispered seductively, sending his warm breath in her ear, "I've been a bad, bad boy and I plan to be later on tonight. Are you going to use the whip on me this time?" "You'll probably get what's coming to you if you tell your mom about me having triplets," she slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, what's with all the abuse," he asked as he rubbed his shoulder, feigning hurt. "What can I say, I love touching you," she grinned widely as she met his lips with hers. Never leaving the kiss, Haley lifted up the armrest separating them and scooted over, wrapping her arms around his waist. The kiss continued for several minutes as their tongues battled for dominance in each other's mouths. Haley stroked the back of his head and Lucas ran his hands up and down her back. They finally parted for air and she caressed his cheek before placing another quick kiss on his lips, "Come on, let's go tell your mom then go home. I'm hungry and tired."

When they arrived at Karen's, they prepared for playing the joke on his mom; they had decided on the ride back that they would to get a laugh out of it. Before they entered the house, they clasped hands at the door and put on their dazed expressions and Haley placed her free hand on her stomach. Both came into the house through the kitchen door and found Karen there, unloading the dishwasher. "Hey guys, how did the doctor's appointment go," she asked without looking up. When they didn't answer, she looked up and saw their faces, "Luke, Haley, what's the matter? Is there something wrong with the baby?" In a soft, choked voice, he whispered dazedly, "Haley's having triplets…" Karen visibly paled and the plate she'd been holding fell to the floor. She leaned heavily against the counter, trying to let this piece of information sink in. After seeing a similar expression to the one Lucas had had in the truck, they both started laughing loudly. "That was just too funny for words," Lucas managed to get out. Karen looked at them cautiously, "You're not having triplets?" "Nope, just one," he replied with a grin.

Karen swatted his shoulder, "Lucas Scott! You better be glad that, that plate was plastic and not one of my good china! That was so not funny!" "Sorry Karen, I did it to him at the hospital and then he conned me into doing it to you," Haley replied. Karen pointed a finger warningly at him, "You may be tall, but you're still young enough for me to take you over my knee." Lucas pretended to look frightened. Karen went over to Haley and softly rubbed her stomach, "How's my grandchild doing?" "He," she emphasized the word, "is doing fine; healthy and growing. I just have to eat a little more because I was a little underweight at the checkup." "Whoa, wait… You found out," Lucas asked. Haley smiled at him, "No, call it mother's intuition, but I think it's going to be a boy." Karen gave Lucas a wry grin, "I thought you were going to be a girl. You were all set to be Lily Jessica Scott. But then when I went into labor and the doctor said, 'It's a boy!' I had to change the name." "Boy am I glad for that," he responded.

Karen asked, "Did you get the sonogram pictures?" Haley nodded, pulling out a small envelope from her purse and handing it to her. "You got pictures? Why didn't I get to see these," he inquired. "Because I was playing that prank on you and then you made me play the prank on your mom so I punished you by not letting you see the pictures," she rationalized, smiling sweetly at him. "Aww, the baby is so small. I remember when Lucas was that small," Karen grinned at Haley then handed the pictures back to her. "Let me see," Lucas whined, gesturing for her to hand him the pictures. "No," she replied as she pulled them the farthest away from him. Lucas began to tickle her sides and Haley giggled, trying to get away from his grasp, "Luke, stop!" "Give me the pictures then," he replied. "No," she responded, breaking away from him and starting to run, but Lucas caught her and tickled her some more. "Okay, okay, here," she finally relented, handing over the pictures to him.

Lucas stared at them in awe for several minutes, tears rising in his eyes and falling down his cheeks. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and sniffled then looked up at her and smiled, first pointing at one of the pictures then placing a hand on her belly, "That's our baby in here. It's so amazing…I can't believe it…" Haley smiled too, tears of her own now falling, as she pulled him close and stroked the back of his head then gently kissed his lips. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back as she laid her head against his chest, sighing contentedly.

Later that evening, with Krissy tucked under the covers in her room, Lucas and Haley lay in bed, both reading. Haley was reading some entertainment magazine with articles about Brad and Jen and who the next Mrs. Ben Affleck would be. Lucas was reading his all time favorite book for what seemed like the millionth time, The Winter of Our Discontent. As he read, Lucas rubbed his hand over her stomach in slow, soothing circles, feeling the child move from within. At a particularly sharp kick, Haley grunted as she placed her hand where the baby had kicked, "This kid's trying to kick my insides out." Lucas set his book down on the nightstand next to the bed then turned back to her, scooting down so his head was parallel to her stomach and patted it gently, "Hey baby, be nice to Mommy. Stop giving her such a hard time." Haley smiled and after a few moments of Lucas stroking her belly tenderly, he looked up at her. "You really think it's a boy," he asked. Haley nodded, "I think so. I just have a feeling…plus, I'm carrying almost the same as your mom when she was pregnant with you. She showed me pictures," She added in the last line at Lucas' confused look. "So you think we have Braden in here, huh? When will you be able to find out for sure?" "Probably next month at the checkup. I'll be six months along by then," Haley responded.

"Can you believe it? Just four more months and then we'll have little Sophia or Braden here with us. I can't wait," he smiled as he kissed her belly, "I love you Braden or Sophia, whoever's in there. Mommy and Daddy both love you." "Remember to keep those names to yourself, buddy," she poked him lightly in the chest, "we don't want your mom finding out yet." They had decided early on that they wanted to keep the names a secret so that if they had a girl, they could surprise Karen when the baby was born. "I will, don't worry," he replied. "Alright, lights out, time to go to bed. I'm tired and the baby and I need to get some sleep. And you have to go to bed too because you don't want a raging pregnant lady on your hands," Haley smiled sweetly. "Oh that's nothing; it's the craving pregnant lady that scares me." "Luke," she lightly pushed him in the shoulder. "Kidding," he replied with a laugh. Haley snuggled into him and kissed him softly on the lips, "I love you." He rubbed the side of her arm and stroked her hair, "I love you too Hales."

A few days later, Lucas and Haley were relaxing on the couch dressed in their pajamas watching a basketball game; well, Lucas was watching but Haley was simply laying there just to be near him as she fought sleep. Haley was wearing a pair of flannel blue and purple plaid pajama pants with a light pink shirt that had recently gotten a little small at covering her growing stomach. She was hardly showing despite being nearly five months pregnant and because she was underweight, but there was a definite bump and roundness to her stomach that hadn't been there before although she still appeared like she wasn't pregnant to the untrained eye, except for when she wore shirts like this. Lucas was still clad in his white wife-beater tank top and jersey shorts from playing basketball down at the rivercourt earlier that morning.

The doorbell rang and Haley rose from her position on the couch, heading towards the door, "I'll get it." When she opened it to see who it was, her eyes widened in shock and her jaw would have dropped down to the floor had it been physically possible. Standing right in front of her were none other than Haley's parents.

Haley's mother looked over her daughter but her stare became transfixed to her daughter's protruding belly. Haley's father saw it too and his facial expression began to change to one of disgust. Haley wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach as if to keep her child safe from these horrible people who had deserted her at the young age of six.

"Who is it, Hales," Lucas asked as he made his way towards the door and placed a hand comfortingly on her lower back. He too had shock written all over his face at the sight of Haley's parents and he started to become a little red from the anger building inside him.

"Where is Kristina," Haley's mother, Abigail James, asked snootily. "Well hello to you too. What do you care anyway? You've only seen her about twice in all of her life! Do you even know how old she is? She's three and a half years old, Abby!" Haley screamed angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. Her father, Steven James, pointed a finger warningly at her, "Don't talk to your mother like that!" Haley looked around outside, "What mother? I don't see my mother. As far as I know, the only mother I've had since I was six years old is Karen Roe." Abigail raised her hand to slap her daughter but Lucas caught her arm and glared at her, his eyes burning holes into her, "Don't you lay a hand on her!" "Haley is my daughter and I will deal with her however I choose," Abigail shouted, yanking her arm from his grasp. "Oh please, I haven't been your daughter for twelve years," Haley replied sarcastically, venom dripping in her tone.

Krissy, who had been sleeping until all the yelling woke her up, walked out into the hallway rubbing her eyes. "Haley," she asked sleepily, "why are you yelling?" "Stay back baby," Haley replied placing her hand behind her to keep her from coming any closer, "Luke, go get her." Before Luke could pick her up, she came up behind Haley and hugged her legs and seeing the two people at the door, asked, "Who are you?" Abigail bent down and opened her arms for the little girl to enter, "Kristina honey, it's us, Mom and Dad." Krissy acquired an angry expression on her face, "You're not my Mommy and Daddy!" She then ran to Luke, who scooped her up and cradled her in his arms then took her back to her bedroom before returning back to Haley's side.

"What are you doing here? Why'd you come? Why now? You never cared about Krissy anyway," Haley asked bitterly. "We want Kristina to come live with us," Abigail replied then continued after glancing at Haley's stomach, "we realize that we made a mistake in raising you so we want to make it right with our other daughter." "You didn't raise me," Haley shouted back, "and I won't let you take Krissy!" "We are taking Kristina and that is final," Abigail yelled. "No," Haley retorted.

Krissy had been listening from her bedroom and now ran out, clinging onto Haley's legs, "Mommy, no! Don't let me go with them! Please, Mommy, please! Don't let me go with those strangers!" Lucas picked her up and held her tight to his chest as she sobbed into his shoulder, "Daddy, I don't wanna go…" He rubbed her back and murmured in her ear, "Shh, you're not going anywhere, baby. I won't let them take you." He then looked up to Haley's parents, who had shocked expressions at her calling Haley and Lucas, Mommy and Daddy, and pointed towards the stairs, "You need to go."

"Fine then. You'll be hearing from our lawyer. We are going to file for custody of Kristina and we WILL win. We'll be seeing you in court," Abigail said confidently before turning on her heel and walking away, Steven James following in her wake after giving his daughter another disgusted glare.

After Haley closed the door, Lucas kissed Krissy's cheek and set her on the ground then crouched down in front of her, "Kris sweetie, Mommy and I have to talk alone for awhile. Can you please go to your room? We will come have a talk with you in a little bit." She nodded then began to cry again, "Why do those people want to take me with them? Daddy, did I do something bad?" He hugged the little girl, his heart breaking, "Oh no, honey. You are such a good little girl. You didn't do anything wrong, okay?" She nodded again. "Come here baby," he opened his arms for her to enter and he gently stroked her hair and rubbed her back, murmuring in her ear, "Everything will be alright. You're not going anywhere, sweetie." He hugged her for a few more minutes then let her go and Krissy reluctantly retreated back to her room.

Haley was still breathing heavily from the shock and her eyes were wide with fright. Lucas walked over to her and rubbed her back as he placed his hand on her stomach, "Take deep breaths. You need to calm down Hales, all this stress isn't good for you or the baby." "I can't calm down! They want to take Kris away from us Luke! She can't go with them! I can't lose her," she screamed. Lucas wrapped his arms around her, "Sh, we'll get through this. I promise…" "What are we going to do…" Haley asked in a shaky voice as she wrapped her arms around him and began to sob, burying her head in his chest.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm finally back with another chapter of The Sweetest Sin! We've got lots of drama in this one! I'll be updated ITPOAA and FOWB next. I'm trying to think of what I want to happen for both stories so it may take me a couple days to get it out. I'm hoping to get them out by sometime Monday though. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 16**

Once Lucas had gotten Haley to calm down a little and put her to bed for some rest, Lucas drove to his mother's house. Earlier, he had wondered how Haley's parents had found out where they lived because as far as he knew, Haley had left no notice at her house as to their whereabouts.

"Mom!" Lucas shouted as he entered the house. "Lucas," Karen came into the room, a smile on her face because lately her son had been busy and she hadn't seen much of him. She started to wrap him in a hug, but he pulled away. "Did you tell them," he asked, anger rising in his voice. "Tell who, what," Karen inquired with confusion. "Haley's parents, Mom! They-They came to the house! Did you tell them where we were?" "Well yeah, they wanted to see Haley and Krissy so I told them you were at the house…" She was cut off by Lucas screaming, throwing his hands out in anger, "They want to take Kris away from us, Mom! That's why they came! Didn't it concern you at all that they just showed up out of the blue? God Mom, we can't lose Kris!" Karen gasped and a horrified look appeared on her face as she placed a hand to her mouth, "What? Why?" "They came to the house and they said they wanted Krissy to come live with them. They said that since they'd made a mistake in raising Haley, they wanted to make it right with Krissy. They meant Haley being pregnant, but they didn't say it. We can't lose Kris, Mom, it would kill both of us. We can't let Kris go with them. They don't even know her! For God sakes, they've only seen her about twice in her life!"

"Calm down Luke. We'll figure something out. I'll give my lawyer a call and see what we can do, okay?" she patted his arm in comfort, "How's Haley taking it?" "Haley nearly had a breakdown after they left. She was hyperventilating and she was just, utterly shocked, as was I. She was so freaked out and breathing heavily…It took me awhile to finally get her somewhat calmed down and then I made her go rest. She was so stressed out and I didn't want it to hurt her or the baby, so I made her lie down for a little bit," Lucas ran a hand through his hair. "Good. Let me go call my lawyer and talk with him. He'll want to speak with you. Can you stick around for awhile?" He nodded as he sat down at the kitchen table and started tapping his foot anxiously. They couldn't lose Krissy and he would do everything in his power to keep his little girl from going to those horrible people who had abandoned their children.

Several hours later, Lucas returned home and when he entered, he found Haley on the couch, crying. She looked up when she heard the door click shut and met his eyes. "Where were you," she asked shakily as she sniffled through her tears. There was both anger and fright in her voice. "I was at my mom's. I wanted to talk to her about the, uh, situation. She talked to her lawyer and then had me talk to him to explain what was going on…that's why I was gone so long. Sorry," he replied as he set his keys on the table near the door and slowly walked over to her. Haley struggled to stand from the couch and he quickly strode to her side, helping her up. They stared into each other's saddened eyes then held each other in a tight embrace for several long moments, both trying to cope with the grief and despair they had been faced with.

"W-What did the lawyer say," Haley asked once they pulled away. He lowered them both back onto the couch and Haley laid her head against his chest. He stroked her hair then kissed her forehead, "He says we have a pretty good case, but they are Krissy's parents, so they do still have legal rights on her custody. We have to petition to the courts to become legal guardians of Krissy and strip your parents of their legal rights and then Krissy will be ours… But what it all comes down to, is the judge's decision. He has to hear all the information, the story, how they abandoned Kris shortly after she was born and left you to care for her all by yourself. How they've only visited you guys like twice since they left you and Kris. Stuff like that. We will also have to tell about us and Krissy. How we have taken care of her together since she was born and that we're basically the only parents she's ever known." "Why are they doing this," Haley cried as she buried her head into his chest. "I don't know baby," he replied as he rubbed her back in soothing circles, "I don't know."

The next day Haley and Lucas returned from talking with the lawyer and giving him their story. While Lucas had been somewhat reassured that Krissy would stay with them, Haley was still stressed and uncertain. She paced the living room floor for several minutes until Lucas gently took both her hands into his and tenderly squeezed them. "Hales, come here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, "Everything will be alright." She pulled away, fear in her eyes, "How do you know that? I know the lawyer said that we'll most likely get to keep Krissy, but that isn't good enough. I need to know. God, this situation is-is just crazy! We're not fighting for custody of a dog or family pet, this is human being, my sister for god sakes-" "Hales, you need to calm down. All this stress isn't good for the baby. Or for you. You need to take it easy. Let's go relax on the couch for awhile," he suggested as he guided her to the large couch. He positioned her so her back was to the armrest and he lifted her legs, placing them in his lap when he sat down beside her.

He began massage her feet and she groaned in satisfaction, "Oh, that feels so good." He continued for about ten more minutes until he stood and gestured her to move, "Scoot forward a little." He sat behind her, starting to rub and massage her back. She felt very tense under his fingers and he worked the knots loose with his thumbs and knuckles. Since she couldn't lay on her stomach, Lucas had her lie on the couch with her back to the edge so he could work on her middle and lower back. Haley flinched when he touched a tender spot on her lower back. "Sorry," he responded as he began to rub the spot more gently. He continued to massage her body for another twenty minutes and he finally stopped when he thought she'd fallen asleep.

Haley yawned as she sat up and stretched then wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him, "Thank you. That felt wonderful. You should be a masseuse." "Nope, these fingers are only reserved for you," he replied as he smiled and softly pressed his lips to hers. When they pulled away, Haley ran her tongue over her bottom lip, tasting him on her. She looked to his lips, his eyes, then his lips again. She leaned forward and hungrily captured his lips with hers in a heated, passionate kiss. The kiss became even more feverish as Haley pushed him back to lie down on the couch and she straddled him. She slowly began to kiss down his bare chest as she unbuttoned the shirt he wore. He rubbed her stomach and up and down the sides of her body then began to caress her breasts. Then the phone rang. "Don't answer that," she whispered as she placed another soft kiss on his mouth.

"The hearing is in two days," Lucas responded the next day as he hung up the phone from talking with their lawyer. Haley sucked in a large, long breath. "So soon," she asked shakily the responded more steadily, "soon is good. The sooner this is over the sooner Kris will be all ours." He nodded and hugged her.

The day of the hearing finally came and just before they left the house to go pick up Karen, Lucas tried to calm Haley down, who was beginning to get nervous. "Hales remember, stress isn't good for either of you," he responded as he placed a hand on her stomach. "I can't help but think that the worst will happen. It's all up to the judge, Luke. What if we get a bad judge? What if they don't think we're fit to raise Kris by ourselves? What if the judge gives custody to my parents?" "They won't. After they hear what they did you and Kris, abandoning you two when you were just a kid and Kris a baby, there's no judge that would allow the custody to go to them," Lucas replied as he placed his hands on her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and she leaned into his embrace for a few moments then pulled away. "Come on, let's go get Kris and pick up Karen. We don't want to be late," she replied as she took his hand into her own.

"Docket number 1207, James and Scott vs. James, Judge Williams presiding. Will you all please stand," the bailiff announced to the small group of people in the courtroom. When the judge entered and reached her desk, she said after she had sat down, "You may be seated." After a few minutes while everyone waited for the judge to get situated, she called out, "Opposing counsel, please give your opening statement." "Your honor, my clients are parents to Ms. Haley James, one of the defendants, and to Kristina Summer James. While Haley is eighteen, Kristina is only three years old. They want Kristina to come live with them and they are here today to get their daughter back because Ms. James refuses to let them take her," Mr. Bailey, the James' lawyer, stated. The judge nodded once then turned to Mr. Moore, Haley and Lucas' lawyer, "Defending counsel, your opening statement." "Your honor, my clients, Haley James and Lucas Scott, are petitioning to the court for sole custody of Kristina Summer James on the grounds of abandonment by the plaintiffs, Abigail and Steven James."

"Prosecuting counsel, call your first witness," the judge called. "I call Abigail James to the stand," Mr. Bailey said aloud. Abigail gave her testimony then Mr. Moore did cross examination. This happened again with Steven James then it was defending counsel's turn to call their witnesses. "The defense calls Haley James to the stand," Mr. Moore replied. Haley gave a nervous look to Lucas and he gently squeezed her hand before helping her stand. Haley walked up to the platform and sat in the chair, waiting for him to start the questioning after she was sworn in. "Ms. James, how often are your parents home," Mr. Moore asked. "Never," Haley replied, "I haven't seen them for about a year and a half. I'm basically living on my own, well, without parental support from them anyway. They live out of a suitcase traveling all over the country." "How old were you when your parents abandoned you and Krissy?" "Well, my parents abandoned me when I was six years old. I went to live with my best friend's mom, Karen Roe, and I hardly saw hide nor hair of them until I was about fourteen when my mom came back for a little while because she was pregnant with Kristina. Soon after she was born, my mom split to go back to her job and I was left to take care of her by myself. Well, not by myself really, Lucas has been there for both of us ever since Kristina was born. Lucas and I have been best friends since we were four years old. We've taken care of her together. She knows us; she doesn't know my parents. I don't want Krissy to have to go through the pain of them abandoning her like they did me; I've tried to protect her from that."

"Did they give you any reason why they wanted to take Kristina with them," Mr. Moore inquired. "Yeah, they just showed up on our doorstep about two weeks ago and said they wanted Kristina to come live with them. They told me they'd made a mistake in raising me and wanted to make it right with their other daughter. But in actuality, they didn't raise me, my boyfriend's mother, Karen Roe, did. I think part of their reasoning behind 'making a mistake in raising me' was that I'm pregnant. They probably think I'm some slut who sleeps around and got knocked up as a consequence for my stupid and reckless actions, but they don't know me. I'm not like that. I've only been with one person and although my pregnancy was an unexpected surprise, all of us are happy about the baby, even Kris. You see, if Kris went with my parents, she'd be living out of hotels, spending time by herself, and have no real friends because they move around a lot. A kid has to have roots to grow up and those roots are here in Tree Hill. This place is her home. I don't want the kind of life for her that my parents would give her. She belongs in Tree Hill with me, and Lucas, and everyone that loves her."

"Thank you Ms. James," Mr. Moore replied as he went back to his seat and Mr. Bailey stood for the cross examination. "Ms. James, earlier you said they showed up on your doorstep. Where do you live? Do you still live with Karen Roe?" "I used to live at my parents house from the time I was fourteen up until a couple months ago when Krissy and I moved in with Lucas. We have a house out on Chestnut Ave.," Haley replied. "Who pays for the house? Do you and Lucas pay for it by yourselves?" "No, we help pay for it, but the majority of the payment is taken care of by Karen and Lucas' uncle, Keith Scott. Karen felt that we needed a bigger place than an apartment because with Kris growing up and now with the baby coming, we would need the space." "Ms. James, did you know that since you removed Kristina from the James home, and took her somewhere where your parents couldn't find her, you could be arrested and go to jail for kidnapping," Mr. Bailey asked. Panic coursed through every part of her body. _'No, this can't be happening,' _Haley thought as her eyes widened and she stood and screamed, "You can't do that! Krissy belongs with me!" Mr. Moore stood as well as he called out, "Objection, your honor, prosecution is threatening the witness." Judge Williams responded to Mr. Bailey, "Counselor, be careful what you say or I'll have to hold you in contempt." "I'm sorry, your honor. I have no more questions, your honor," Mr. Bailey replied as he sat back down. "You may step down Ms. James," the judge replied. Haley was still panicked. Could they really charge her for kidnapping? She was acting in Krissy's best interest! Haley began to breath heavily and she felt a large migraine settling in.

Haley stood shakily and as she stepped down from the stand, she felt an enormous amount of pain flood through her stomach and she clutched her belly tightly as she doubled over and fell to her knees then to her side on the floor, screaming out in agony. Krissy shot from her place beside Karen behind the swinging doors and ran to her, "Mommy!" Lucas stood up quickly and rushed over to Haley too, "Oh my god, Hales!" Haley had curled into a ball and was crying hysterically, "Luke, it hurts so much… t-there's something wrong with the baby…" Those six words made his heart stop beating, his lungs stop breathing, and his blood run cold. "Someone call an ambulance," he shouted. Karen came up behind them and tried to pick Krissy up, to get her out of the way, but she resisted. "No, Mommy! I want to be with Mommy! Please," the little girl begged, sobbing as Karen finally grabbed her and cradled her in her arms. "Sh, you can't see mommy right now. You have to be a big girl for Mommy and Daddy. Can you do that, sweetie," Karen asked, brushing a few stray strands of hair away from her face. She nodded and looked sadly at Haley as Karen took her away from the scene.

"Hang in there honey," Lucas stroked the top of Haley's head as she sobbed into his chest, "the ambulance will be here in a few minutes." He held her tightly yet gently against his body, not wanting to cause her more pain as he prayed to God that Haley and the baby would be alright and tears flowed freely down his cheeks. Haley's parents tried to come near, but Lucas shouted at them, "Stay away from her!" "She is our daughter," Abigail stated angrily. "You may have given birth to her, but you two are in no way her parents!" "I think you should go back to your side of the courtroom," Karen said tersely as she walked up beside her son and placed her hand on his shoulder. "The ambulance is here," a guard shouted from near the doors. "We'll be at the hospital soon sweetie," Lucas said softly to her as the paramedics rushed in.

Three hours later, Lucas was still worriedly pacing the waiting room, awaiting news on Haley. His face and eyes were red from crying and he was a nervous wreck. Karen was sitting in one of the chairs as she kept an eye on her son and Krissy, who had cried herself into a fitful slumber in the chair next to her. The doctor finally entered and Lucas rushed over to him, "How is she?" "We got her stabilized and gave her some fluids. She's calmed down now. You may see her if you'd like," the doctor explained as he gestured for Lucas to follow him. "And the baby? Is the baby alright," he asked, swallowing hard. "The baby is fine. The tests we took on Miss James show that she has been under extreme stress lately, correct?" Lucas sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Yeah, she and I are fighting for custody of her sister with her parents and she's- we're worried that we might lose her." "Well, from the results of the tests, it was determined that Miss James' episode was caused from the amount of stress she has been under. It's not right now, but it could be potentially dangerous to her and the baby if these pains continue or intensify. Now, I suggest that she be put on strict bed rest for four days. No walking, don't even let her get out of bed. If she has to use the restroom, carry her. She needs to have as little stress as possible." "I will do that. Thank you doctor," Lucas shook his hand then the doctor left. He stood outside Haley's hospital room for a minute, gathering his thoughts and registering what the doctor had told him. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of the pains getting worse and putting Haley and their child in danger.

After a few minutes of pulling himself together, he finally entered the hospital room and Haley immediately looked up and, seeing the tears still in his eyes, she looked down again. "I lost the baby, didn't I," she said softly in a broken voice, burying her head in her hands as she began to sob, "I'm sorry Luke, I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect our baby. I'm such a horrible mother. I couldn't even keep our baby safe while it was inside me…" Lucas rushed over to her and gathered her in his arms. "Sh sh… It's alright. Our baby is right here," he said, placing a hand on her stomach, "still inside you. You didn't lose the baby, Hales." She wrapped her arms around his neck and back and pulled him tight to her body, crying into his chest.

There was a knock on the door and Karen entered but stayed by the door, "Hey Haley, how are you feeling?" "Better now," she smiled through her tears. "Krissy wants to see you. Is it okay for her to come in," Karen asked. Haley nodded and Karen stepped outside then brought the little girl in by the hand. At seeing Haley, she raced over to the bed and Lucas scooped her up, placing her carefully beside Haley, "Mommy! Mommy, I was so scared…" The little girl wrapped her arms around Haley's neck and laid her head on Haley's chest. Haley kissed Krissy's forehead and stroked her hair, "I know baby, I was too. I'm okay now. You don't have to be scared anymore." "Is Baby okay," she asked as she gently touched Haley's stomach. Haley smiled, "Yeah, Baby's fine." "Good," Krissy replied as she laid her head on Haley's belly and kissed it.

Haley was kept overnight for observation but was allowed to go home the next morning as long as she followed all the instructions the doctor had given them. And Lucas would make sure she did. Lucas called their lawyer and had the trial postponed until Haley was feeling better although he didn't really want her to go back there, fearing she would have another episode again if she got too stressed out.

When they arrived home, Lucas carefully carried Haley to their bedroom and gently laid her down. "I'm sorry that you have to carry me around everywhere. I probably feel like a dead weight," she said as she adjusted a pillow under her back. "Nah, it just gives me a chance to build up my muscles," he grinned as he flexed his arms. She laughed then patted the vacant spot beside her, "Come lay down with me." He nodded and lay down next to her. She snuggled into him, her back to his chest, and she kissed the knuckles on his hand as he wrapped his other arm around her and began to rub her stomach in slow, soothing circles. "I love you," she whispered as she began to fall asleep. "I love you too," Lucas replied as he placed a soft kiss on her temple and pulled her closer to him.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **Alright, in light of Tay and Malin's INCESSANT begging, pleading, and pestering, I am posting the NEW chapter to TSS! This one is all about the court case and everything. Forgive me if the court proceedings are different from the way they're supposed to be. I don't know much about court hearings, especially child custody cases, only what I see on Law & Order which I watch very rarely. Anyways, I hope you all like it! As always, please read and review!

P.S. - Thanks to everyone on for being so patient while I waited to post the new chapter until I got caught up on the OTH Central board after having all the problems! You guys ROCK!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and it's characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 17 **

A week later, they were back in court again. Lucas had given his testimony about caring for Krissy and helping Haley out over the years. Karen gave her testimony about Haley's parenting skills and other various subjects concerning Krissy as well as Lucas'. The judge had even called Krissy into her chambers to talk to her about Haley, Lucas, Karen, and her parents. Then the judge had called a recess for lunch and now they were back in the courtroom, awaiting the news of the verdict and whether they would be able to keep Krissy or not.

The judge walked back into the room, holding Krissy by the hand. Both Haley and Lucas made a sharp intake of breath and squeezed hands, realizing they were now only minutes away from hearing whether their lives would be torn apart or not. Krissy ran to Karen behind the swinging double doors, knowing she wasn't supposed to go near Haley or Luke when they were sitting there. Haley and Lucas both began to fidget in their seats, both anxious and terrified to hear the news.

Judge Williams began after a few moments of silence, "This case was a very unusual one. We don't get many of these in our courts; where the sister wants custody of a younger relative, but that is the case here. It was a tough decision to make. This little girl has two loving parents as well as a devoted sister and her sister's boyfriend, who all care for her deeply. And here is my decision. I hereby grant full custody of Kristina Summer James to the parents, Abigail and Steven James." She banged her gavel and everything else happened so fast. Haley saw Krissy kicking and screaming in Karen's arms as her mother tried to take her away. Them finally having hold of her and leaving the courtroom…

Haley broke out into a cold sweat. No, the judge couldn't do that. She couldn't let her parents have Krissy. They didn't know her, they didn't love her. "No! You can't take her! She's mine! She belongs with me," Haley screamed. She looked to her parents again and now her father was carrying Krissy and her mother was holding a baby in her arms. Haley looked down to her stomach, finding that it was no longer plump and round; she wasn't pregnant anymore. Haley's expression grew terrified. They had her baby. They were taking her baby away from her too. "Nooo! Give me my baby back! Give me Krissy back! You can't have them! Give them back to me! You can't take them!" Haley's parents ignored her and they walked out of the courtroom, taking Krissy and her baby with them, taking her life away. "NO! Nooo! Come back! They're mine! Noooo," Haley sobbed as she collapsed to the floor.

Lucas woke to screaming beside him. He looked over and saw that Haley was tossing and turning in her sleep, the sheets tangled between her legs, her body covered in sweat. She was having a nightmare. He gently shook her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Hales, wake up. You're having a nightmare. Wake up baby." Haley shot straight up in bed, her eyes wide, placing her hands on her stomach, "No, you can't have my baby!" She was panting heavily. Lucas began to rub her back in soothing circles, trying to calm her down, "Sh, you're alright…it was just a nightmare…" Haley buried her head in his chest as she sobbed, "Oh Lucas, it was so horrible! They-They took Krissy and the baby away from us! The judge gave my parents custody of Krissy and-and they took my baby away from me, Luke!"

"Sh, they aren't going to take the baby away and they're not going to get Kris, I promise," he kissed her forehead as he lightly dragged his fingernails up and down her back, an act that had always seemed to soothe her. "Y-You don't know that. We could lose her, Luke. We could still lose her," Haley cried and he hugged her tighter to his chest. Tears of his own began to fall as he thought of losing his little girl. "I know," he whispered. They held each other in a tight embrace for several minutes as they both cried. "Hales, you need to calm down and get some sleep. You need to have as little stress as possible so you don't have another episode and we both know tensions will be high in that courtroom tomorrow," Lucas responded as he rubbed her stomach, finding comfort in feeling the small movements of their child. They positioned themselves back in the bed, both curled up together with Haley's back to Lucas' chest. Both pairs of hands were on her belly as Lucas continued with the gentle movements of his hands over her skin as Haley wondered in fright if they really could take their baby away once it was born. They had taken Kris away from her parents. Well, not really, their parents had abandoned them. "Sleep," Lucas whispered as he kissed her hair. She closed her eyes, trying to fight the fear churning within her. What if her parents really did get custody of Krissy?

Haley still lie there wide awake in bed after Lucas had fallen back asleep, thinking that Haley had drifted off as well. Thoughts and memories plagued her mind. The past three years with Kris. Thoughts of what could happen tomorrow. Haley wouldn't be able to live if Krissy was taken away from her; Krissy was her little girl. She was Haley's daughter in all senses of the word no matter what a thin piece of paper told them.

She knew she needed to get some sleep so she would be well-rested for the hearing tomorrow. She looked at the clock; well, today. She carefully rose from the bed so as not to disturb Lucas and walked to the kitchen to fix herself a cup of hot chocolate. It usually was able to calm and soothe her back to sleep. She stood at the island counter as she poured in the chocolate powder and added the hot water then absentmindedly stirred it as she stared at a photo frame on the wall near the entrance to the kitchen. Lucas was holding Krissy on his left hip and his right arm was wrapped around Haley's back. Haley had her left arm around Lucas' back and her right hand was on her stomach. The picture had only been taken about a month or two ago, right after they'd moved into the house. She sighed as she placed her hand on her belly and rubbed in a slow circle. "Glad you can sleep," she grumbled as she made her way to the living room and laid down on the couch, her head on the armrest.

She lay there for awhile as she started to cry, covering her face with her hands, the thought of losing Kris rising to the front of her mind again. A few minutes later, she heard a soft padding of feet. "Mommy," Krissy whispered in questioning. Haley quickly wiped away her tears and sniffled as she gestured her near. "Hey baby, what are you doing up? You should be asleep in bed," she replied as she helped her up onto the couch beside her. "I couldn't sleep. I had a bad dream," Krissy responded as she snuggled into her sister's arms. Haley stroked her hair and caressed her cheek, "What was it about?" "I dreamt that those people came and took me away from you and Daddy and Baby. I don't want to go with them Mommy. What if they take me away," she sniffled as her chin trembled and tears fell down her cheeks. Krissy had always been a bright child even for being nearly four years old. It amazed her sometimes how intelligent Krissy was. But this, this was too much for her. For her little girl to fear being taken away from the only parents she ever knew. "I don't know baby," Haley began to sob as she clutched the girl tight to her body.

The next morning was a solemn and quiet one. Haley had barely gotten a wink of sleep so she was already exhausted by nine in the morning after only having a few short hours of sleep. They all dressed in their formal wear; Haley wore a pair of pressed black slacks and a double layer mesh top with a maroon undershirt and the mesh top had pink flowers on it. Lucas wore a gray suit with a light blue dress shirt and a tie. Krissy was wearing a pink floral halter dress with a pair of white sandals and her light brown hair down in curls. Breakfast was eaten in silence and then they all got into the car to head over to Karen's house to pick her up.

They all arrived at the courthouse an hour early on orders of their lawyer just on the off chance that their case was called earlier than scheduled. Haley sat on a bench with her hands on her stomach and her eyes closed, trying to keep calm. The movements of her child from within always seemed to calm and soothe her. It made her feel better knowing that her baby safe inside her when outside there was a harsh, cruel world that would never hesitate at trying to break you down. A few tears slipped through her closed eyelids and slid down her cheeks. Lucas, who had been pacing the floor nervously, quickly rushed to her side and wiped her cheeks and eyes with the back of an index finger. "Sh, it's going to be alright," he whispered as he gently took her chin in his hand and met her lips with a tender kiss.

"Y-You don't know that," she replied shakily in a soft voice. "Try and be optimistic. Worrying about it will just make you even more stressed out and I don't want you to have another episode. And thinking negative about the situation doesn't help either," Lucas replied. "I can't help it Lucas! I'm scared! Don't you realize that in less than an hour, our whole lives could be turned upside down? We might lose Kris, Lucas, and I'm scared to death that we will. You didn't have that dream last night, Lucas, but I did. And it was so real. I know they can't take the baby away from us, but they could very well get Kris. I wouldn't be able to handle it, wouldn't be able to live if they got her. She's my life, Lucas. You are too, but she's my sister. We're a family. We just can't lose her Luke," Haley began to cry as she buried her head in her hands. Lucas wrapped his arms around her and held her tight for several minutes as he whispered comforting words into her ear. Ten minutes later, someone came out of the courtroom and called out, "Docket 1207, all parties are to report to the courtroom immediately. The judge has reached a verdict." Haley inhaled a sharp gasp as fear entered her eyes again. Her eyes began to water as she stood with the help of Lucas and whispered, "Moment of truth…"

Sitting there in the courtroom, Haley felt a strong sense of déjà vu overcome her more than anything. Everything was exactly as it had been in her dream. Her parents and Mr. Bailey were on the left and herself, Lucas, and Mr. Moore on the right. Karen, Keith, and Krissy sitting behind them in the first row and Jake, Peyton, and Jenny in the second row. Some of the other people who had witnessed Haley and Lucas' parenting were also there for support and had provided testimony, including Whitey. The judge had already entered and now sat at her chair, looking over her notes and the file on their case once more before stating her verdict.

Lucas could feel Haley tense up as she sat beside him, holding his hand in so tight a grip he feared she might break it. He lifted their clasped hands and lightly kissed her knuckles and placed his free hand on her stomach, rubbing in slow circles to try and calm her because he knew she was freaking out inside. He stroked the side of her hair and kissed her cheek, murmuring into her ear, "Sh, calm down. Everything will be alright." She shot him a glare and he could just see her saying what she had said before out in the hallway. Her glare softened and she rested her forehead against his. He titled his head up and pressed his lips to her forehead as he wrapped his arms tight around her, trying to instill some comfort in her.

The judge finally looked up from the files and took off her reading glasses, resting them on the desk in front of her, then clasped her hands together. "This is quite a situation we have here," she began slowly, "it is not often that we have a relative under the age of eighteen wanting to claim custody of a child. However, this is the case. I have reviewed this case, the court transcripts. I have heard all the testimonies from the plaintiffs, defendants, witnesses. And as with every child custody case, I have talked to Kristina as well. In child custody cases, I am bound by law to act in the best interest of the child while still adhering to the other laws. All rulings are final and cannot be revoked or changed. With that said, I will now state my verdict."

Haley and Lucas both gulped and Haley gripped his hand tighter than before, almost to the point of losing blood circulation. He placed his hand on her back and began to run his fingernails lightly along her back, another act that always seemed to soothe her, but nothing was working now. Nothing would calm her down right now other than hearing that Krissy was theirs. It scared him even more now to think about losing Kris because Haley would barely be able to survive without her. Haley would get depressed, eat very little, sleep less, not want to go out, not want to talk or spend time with her friends. Her world, and ultimately his, would fall apart. All of this could result to Haley losing the baby. He hoped with a desperate passion that the judge would give custody in their favor.

The judge stood as everybody else in the room waited on baited breath for her to speak. After looking around the court once more, Judge Williams spoke. "By the order of this court and in the best interest of the child, I hereby decree that sole custody of Kristina Summer James be given to the sister, Ms. Haley James and her boyfriend, Mr. Lucas Scott. Visitation of the parents, Abigail and Steven James, is subject to the discretion of Ms. James and Mr. Scott." Everyone on Lucas and Haley's side of the courtroom stood and cheered, smiling and hugging everybody else on their side of the courtroom. Haley and Lucas grasped each other in a tight yet loving embrace as tears fell down their cheeks and they kissed. Abigail stood from her chair, shouting, "This is an outrage! Kristina is our daughter! She belongs with us!" Judge Williams banged her gavel, "Order in the court!" Everyone quieted and sat down once again. "Mrs. James, I suggest you hold your tongue or I will hold you in contempt of court. As I stated before, all decisions are final and cannot be changed. Now I must continue with the rest of the verdict," she replied sternly as she stood again. "Furthermore, I find that Abigail and Steven James, on the account of abandonment, are guilty. They made no effort whatsoever to take care of their children. So now I am ordering that you pay in the amount of $50,000 for back child support to Haley James. Remember, Mrs. James, all decisions are final and cannot be changed," she glared at the woman as she rose to speak. Reluctantly, Abigail sat back down and stayed silent.

The judge banged her gavel, ending the proceedings and the case, "Court is adjourned." She then left the courtroom, her robe flowing behind as she briskly walked out of the room. Both Haley and Lucas' jaws hung open their eyes bulged wide as the information that had just been said tried to sink into their brains. "Fif-Fif-Fifty thousand dollars…" Haley stuttered as she trailed off. She slowly turned her head towards Lucas and he turned his to her, both staring at each other in shock. Haley then broke out into a wide smile as she shrieked, "Fifty thousand dollars Luke! We're set! That's enough for both of us to go to college and set up a college fund for Kris and the baby. We could…" She was cut off by Lucas pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. "We did it," he grinned as he pulled away. Haley's smile broadened, "Yes we did. Kris is all ours!"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Krissy shouted as she pushed through the swinging double doors and ran to them. Lucas swooped her up in his arms and snuggled her, holding her close to his chest as he stroked her hair. She stayed like that for a few moments before she reached her arms out to Haley and her sister took hold of her, placing her on her hip, "Mommy! Grandma told me you won! That means I get to stay with you and Daddy and Baby!" "That's right sweetie. You're not going anywhere, you're staying right here with us," Haley hugged her tight, tears trickling down her cheeks as she kissed her sister's hair. "Mommy, why are you crying? We won, you should be happy," Krissy said as she looked up at Haley and saw her tears. "I am happy Kris; they're happy tears," Haley replied as she wiped the tears away with her hand. Karen, Keith, Whitey, and all their friends came up to congratulate them for several minutes. "Alright everyone! Celebration at the café so head on over there," Karen called out as she started to usher Lucas, Haley, and Krissy out of the courtroom. The people of the other party had already stepped out.

Haley stared at the empty seats of the table across from her with a trace of sadness in her eyes. Her parents had lost the only children they had. Haley placed her hands on her stomach, trying to find comfort. She didn't know what she'd do if Kris or the baby were ever taken from her. Kris almost had been taken from her, but in the end she'd won out. For a moment, she let a solitary tear roll down her cheek for them before wiping it away. What had happened to them? Where had the loving parents she'd known when she was five years old gone? She knew. Greed, money, power had claimed them, climbing the business chain as they traveled all over the United States and sometimes to other countries. Haley felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned around, finding Lucas behind her. He wrapped her in a strong embrace and she finally let go. She let loose all the frustration and sadness and guilt and all the feelings she felt for her parents at that moment. Lucas softly stroked her hair and kissed her temple murmuring comforting words into her ear. After several minutes, Lucas whispered softly as he rubbed her back, "Come on, let's go over to the café." She nodded and he wrapped his arm around her back, leading her out of the courtroom.

"Okay, nobody spike the punch! We've got a pregnant lady here," Peyton shouted as she poured both Haley and Lucas cups of the red fruit punch. "Peyt," Haley laughed. "Speech," Jake called out from one of the tables where he was playing with Jenny. The others joined in and Lucas and Haley stood in front of the small group of people that were so close to them. He saw that Haley was still a little choked up so he took the lead. "We want to thank you all for sticking with us through this trying time and offering your support and concern. It means so much to us and we probably wouldn't have Kris right now if it hadn't been for you all. Again, thank you very much," Lucas raised his cup as did the rest of the group. They all toasted and dispersed to talk to each other. A little while later, the stereo had been turned on and music played from the stereo speakers. A soft song began to play and Lucas walked over to Haley, offering out his hand, "May I have this dance?" Haley smiled and nodded as she took his hand and followed him out onto the dance floor that had been created.

Haley wrapped her arms around his torso and he around her waist as they began to move slowly in tune with the beat of the song. He kissed her forehead and she rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes. "I love you," she said softly. He pressed his lips to her temple, "I love you too sweetie." A few minutes later, both felt a tug on their clothing. "Daddy, Mommy, I want to dance with you too," Krissy stated as she held up her arms to them. Lucas scooped her up and placed her on his right hip. Haley cuddled close to them and placed her hand on Krissy's back, resting her head back on his chest. Lucas placed his hand on the side of her stomach, stroking it softly with his thumb and he bent his head to kiss the top of her head as they continued to move slowly to the song. All of the others smiled at the sight of the small family. Karen went behind the counter and grabbed her camera, snapping a picture of them as she smiled lovingly at the couple with their daughter.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! I'm FINALLY back with another chapter to The Sweetest Sin! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get it up. I had writer's block for awhile then couldn't find the right way to put my ideas into words so I think this chapter is a little crappy, forgive me. I'm going to try and wrap up this story within the next five or six chapters if you haven't already read that in my a/n on FOWB. Anyways, I hope you all like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and it's characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 18 **

"Luke," Haley called out as she and Krissy neared the rivercourt where Lucas, Skillz, Junk, Fergie, and Mouth were all playing some ball. Well, Mouth really wasn't playing, just doing his usual commentating as he always did. Lucas rushed over to her concernedly, "Honey, what are you doing out here walking around? You should be at home resting." He brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and caressed her cheek. Haley heaved a sigh as she looked down at her stomach and placed a hand there, "Lucas, I'm fine. I've been resting most of the day for the past week and nothing has happened; no pains, dizziness, nothing like that. I feel like I'm trapped in a jail cell, being in the house all day. I need to get out for awhile. I felt like taking a walk, okay?" He nodded as he hugged her gently, "I know, I just worry about you. With everything that happened… I just don't want that to happen again, alright?" She nodded as she gently kissed his lips. "Yo Luke! Let's play some ball, man," Fergie called out. "Alright, chill, I'll be there in a minute," Lucas responded then turned to Haley, placing his arm around her back, "come on, why don't you two sit on the picnic table and watch me play some basketball?" "Okay Daddy," Krissy smiled up at him, and he smiled back. He kissed Haley softly on the mouth and then he deepened it, pulling her closer to his body with the arm wrapped around her waist. Haley moaned softly.

"Luke man, come on! We know you love her and all, but you get her 24/7. We're only available for a certain amount of time. So stop making out with your girlfriend before you two start doing it right here on the court and let's play some ball so I can kick your scrawny ass," Skillz shouted. "Hey, watch your mouth! We've got little ears around," Lucas responded as he pressed Krissy's head gently against his pant leg and covered her other ear with one hand and placed the other hand on Haley's stomach. "Sorry man," Skillz replied. Lucas guided her to the picnic table and helped lower her onto the bench before kissing the crown of her forehead and rubbing her back then jogging back onto the court. "Hey Mouth," Haley smiled as she looked up at him. "Hi Haley," Mouth grinned back, "How are you doing?"

"Damn dawg, she's beautiful," Skillz replied as he stared at Haley, who had her head thrown back, her mouth open in a wide smile, her soft curls bouncing as she laughed at something Mouth had said, "You lucked out with her, man, really lucked out." "Uh thanks, I think. Other than you crushing on my girlfriend right in front of me, her boyfriend, which I must say is a little lame and disgusting, considering the fact that she is pregnant with my child, what did you mean I 'lucked out with her'," Lucas asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "Luke man, look at what you have. You have it all. You have a wonderful, beautiful girlfriend, an adorable little girl, a baby on the way, your own house… and you're only eighteen. You found your true love, your soul mate, at just eighteen years old, even before that, and you found her just right under your nose, disguised as your best friend. Us other guys, we don't have something like that. We'll still be searching for that someone who loves us as much as you and Haley do, someone that you can connect with deeply, but even then we know we cannot reach the closeness that you two have. You and Haley have been through everything together, and that is what makes your bond so strong. The rest of us can only hope to achieve that close of a bond," Skillz responded then said as he scrunched up his face, "Okay, I'm not really good with all that emotional crap, am I? I don't do mushy well." "No man, that was deep," Lucas replied sincerely as he grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him in for a tight hug, "Thanks, for what you said."

"No problem man, I'm just tellin' it like it is," he smirked. "Yeah, well I'm going to wipe that smirk off your face when I beat your ass in this game. You know I'm the best, don't deny it," Lucas grinned. "Aw, hell no! You didn't just say that! You know I'm the best street ball player out here," Skillz retorted. "Yeah, after me," Lucas smirked. "Oh, it's on. Your ass is grass Luke," Skillz shook his head as he began to bounce the ball. "Bring it," Lucas goaded as he crouched, getting in position to steal the ball from him.

Back at the picnic table, the talking had died down as Krissy watched intently to the guys playing their game of basketball and Haley fidgeted slightly in her seat, becoming slightly restless. She spent most of her time at home sitting down and resting; she wanted to move around. She heard a car engine pull up then cut out and she turned her head to see Peyton's black convertible parked near Lucas' Jeep. Peyton hopped out and then Brooke got out from the other side. "Tutor Mom!" Brooke exclaimed as she raced over to her and wrapped her arms around her neck in a hug. "Careful!" Lucas shouted from the court. "Relax Broody, I'm not going to hurt Haley or Baby Scott. You worry too much," Brooke smiled. "That's what I keep telling him," Haley grumbled loud enough for Lucas to hear. He shot her a small glare before returning his focus to the basketball game at hand.

Over the past few weeks, ever since prom, Brooke and Haley had been hanging out more often. Mostly with Peyton with them too though, because she was usually the only thing that kept her sane around Brooke sometimes. Brooke was a crazy wild child, very loud, outrageous, dramatic, and very, very perky. They didn't call her Cheery for nothing. It was hard enough experiencing her 'uniqueness' as Peyton liked to call it, when you were a sane normal person, but when you add in the pregnancy hormones and all the emotions and feelings that go along with it? That makes for two crazy people.

"Hey guys, what are you two doing here," Haley asked as Brooke sat down beside her and Peyton finally reached them. "Well, we were at Goldilocks' house lying on her bed, bored, and listening to her crap music, when I finally came up with something to do and guess what? We're taking you shopping," Brooke said excitedly. Haley groaned as she leaned her head back and rolled her eyes, "Brooke, you guys took me shopping last week." "I know, but that was for baby clothes. Today we're going to shop for some Mommy clothes. You're going to be the hippest dressed mom in all of Tree Hill!" "Oh god, kill me now," Haley replied as she let her head fall back and groaned, closing her eyes.

"That woman is mad. I mean crazy, insane mad," Haley huffed as she dumped the fifteen or so shopping bags that she'd accumulated at the mall on the living room floor; she'd lost count after seven. "Looks like you had fun," Lucas asked in a questioning tone and she let out a short laugh. "Fun isn't even the word to describe that kind of torture," Haley blew a piece of hair out of her face as she lowered herself onto the couch beside him. He wrapped his arm around her and she laid her head on his shoulder then he kissed her forehead, "Tired?" She nodded and he asked, "Do you want me to rub your feet?" "Please," she said eagerly as she laid back against the armrest of the couch and put her feet in his lap. He began to massage her feet as they talked about her day and the shopping spree with Peyton and Brooke. "So what all did you get," he asked. "Oh lots of stuff. We got some tops and pants and dresses, skirts, and some intimates," she replied. "Oh," Lucas inquired as he looked up at her, anticipation filling his eyes.

"Not those kind of intimates you perve," Haley replied with a laugh as she lightly poked him in the side, "I mean like short shorts and boxers and stuff that I can wear around the house when nobody is around." "What about me? I happen to think you look sexy in my boxers," he grinned cheekily. "I can't wear your boxers anymore. My stomach is too big; the waistband doesn't fit around it," she pouted. "Aw darn. I really liked seeing you prance around in my boxers," he pouted too. "I do not prance," she blushed fiercely as she slapped him on the shoulder with the back her hand. "Well, you did that one time when you gave me-" Haley abruptly covered his mouth with her hand then kissed him. He moaned slightly a few seconds later and when she pulled away, he asked, "What was that for? Not that I'm complaining." "Had to find a way to shut you up," she smirked then replied, "I'm tired. Let's go to bed." He nodded and helped her to her feet, leading her to the bedroom and pulling back the covers for her. She went to change clothes while Lucas climbed into bed and waited for her to return. She came back from the bathroom and got in beside him, pecking him softly on the lips before resting her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his chest. "Night Luke," she said softly as she drifted off to sleep.

The next afternoon, Haley was sitting on the couch reading before she got ready for work at twelve. The apartment was peaceful, as it was so rarely, and she was trying to take advantage of it as much as she could before it got noisy again. Luke was at the auto shop with Keith and Krissy was at her afternoon daycare. She sighed as she set her book down on the coffee table and just stared into space, thinking about Luke. She suddenly felt the baby kick and she smiled as she placed her hands on her round stomach. She loved the feel of the unborn child moving around inside her and it made her heart swell with love and happiness. It began to kick and move more frequently and she adjusted her position to where she was lying down, her head on the armrest, as she glided her hands over her belly. She simply lay there for several minutes as she felt her baby kick against her hands. It was such a marvel that a real live little person was growing, living inside her. She soon became sleepy, but she had to get ready for work in an hour and a half. Haley decided that she would take a quick nap before heading in to the café and muttered as her eyelids closed, "Just an hour…"

Later that evening, after Lucas had left the shop, he went to play some basketball at the rivercourt with the guys again. He shot some hoops for an hour or two after they left to go do other various things then he went to go pick up Krissy from daycare. As he headed to the center, Lucas checked his phone for any messages and realized that he'd turned it off. Once he turned it on, he saw that he had three messages on his phone. He listened to them and he immediately became worried.

First message:  
_Luke, hey honey, it's Mom. I just wanted to know if Haley's feeling alright because she looked a little pale this morning when she came in for her usual morning tea. I've tried calling her, but she hasn't been answering her cell phone. Well, if you talk to her, please call me back or have her call me. Talk to you later sweetie. Bye. _

The next message:  
_Hey, it's Mom. Haley didn't show up for work this afternoon and I thought that maybe she'd felt sick after the way she looked this morning. She usually calls in though and she hasn't. I'll try the house and see if I can get a hold of her. _

The third message:  
_Luke, I've tried the house many times and I still have gotten no answer. I'm getting worried honey. Have you talked to her at all today besides this morning? Could she have gone somewhere and forgotten her phone? I know you have a lot of customers at the shop today and I would go to the house to see if Haley was there, but we're really busy at the café… _

It was then the message cut off, for it was over the time limit. He quickly drove the remaining distance to the daycare and picked Krissy up, all the while frantically trying to get a hold of Haley, but to no avail. He rushed the rest of the way home and as soon as he entered the house, he called out, "Haley? Hales, are you home?" No answer. He searched the bedrooms and finally the living room, where he found her lying on the couch. He raced over to her concernedly, crouching down by her side. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was just sleeping. He rubbed her arm gently as he said softly, "Hales, wake up sweetie." "Mmm, Luke," she mumbled with her eyes still closed, "What are you doing home early? Did you come home for lunch?" He brushed some hair out of her face, "Honey, it's 6:30 in the evening. You missed your shift at the café and Mom left me some messages on my phone saying she couldn't get a hold of you. You had me so worried honey…" Haley quickly sat up, her eyes wide, "I missed my shift? I-I can't believe I missed my shift! I was only going to take a nap for an hour before work!" She was cut off by Lucas cupping her cheek and caressing it softly with his thumb, "Sh, it's okay. Mom will understand. She was really worried about you too. I'm gonna go call her alright? I brought home some Taco Bell if you're hungry. Krissy is playing in her room." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead before standing and going into the kitchen to grab the phone.

He dialed the café, knowing his mother would still be there, and waited for her to pick up. "Karen's Café, this is Karen. How may I help you," her voice came over the line. "Mom-" he began but was cut off. "Lucas! Oh my god! Did you get my messages? I tried calling you but you must have had your phone off. Haley didn't come into the café today and I couldn't get a hold of her-" she replied worriedly when she heard her son's voice. "Mom!" Lucas said loudly to stop her ranting, "I got your messages about thirty minutes ago. Haley's okay. She was here at the house taking a nap before work and I guess she was really tired because she was still sleeping when I came home." "Oh thank god," Karen sighed in relief. "Listen Mom, I'll talk to you tomorrow. We're about to have dinner and I want to spend some time with Haley and Kris before Kris goes to bed. I'll see you later, okay?" "Okay honey, bye," Karen replied. Lucas returned the farewell then returned to the kitchen to hang up the phone, where he found plates and food already set on the table, Haley and Krissy already digging in with their mouths full of tacos. He had to laugh at the sight. He soon joined them, all laughing and talking about the goings on in their lives.

The next day, Luke didn't have to go into the shop until one while Haley went to the café at ten to make up for not being there yesterday, but was on strict orders to rest often. She had nearly scared the life out of him when he got those phone calls from his mother yesterday; he thought something had happened to her.

Around 11:30, he had a turkey sandwich and some chips for lunch then he went to go get the mail. He sifted through it as he walked back into the house, sorting the bills, junk mail, and other pieces of mail they'd received. His eyes landed on a specially marked envelope. Urgent. It was addressed to him. His eyes widened when he read who it was from and he quickly but carefully tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter. He read over it again and again, not believing what he was reading. It said:

_Dear Mr. Lucas Scott, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to the High Flyers Summer basketball camp. Congratulations! This is an amazing feat as we only allow 50 high school students or graduates nationwide to attend this camp. This year, the camp will be held in Charleston, North Carolina and will last for two months, from May 25th until July 21st. Please let us know as soon as possible if you will be able to attend. If you have any questions, please call us at (612) 415-9032. _

_Sincerely,  
__David Young  
__Sr. Coordinator _

Lucas stood there in shock for several minutes. His first emotion was happiness and elation. He couldn't wait to tell Haley. Haley. He couldn't leave her. Not with all that had recently happened in their lives; the trip to the hospital, even last night… He needed to be there for her. Who would help her out of bed or off the couch? Who would rub her feet or back when they hurt? Who would take care of Kris? Haley couldn't take care of Kris all by herself, not when she was five, nearly six months pregnant. It was then he decided that he wouldn't go to High Flyers. It just wasn't the right time. He needed to be there for Haley right now. So he folded up the letter and put it back in the envelope, stuffing it in his back pocket.

Later that day, Lucas called Haley at the café, "Hey sweetie, how are you?" "Fine. What's up," she asked. "You okay? You sound a little distracted," he questioned concernedly. "Oh yeah, we're just a little busy right now. Early dinner rush, she explained. "You're resting, I hope," he replied. "Yes, DAD," she said exasperatedly. "Alright," he amended, "I'm going to get off work in about two hours. Why don't you pick up Kris and meet me at that little restaurant on 5th Avenue and Main Street? Let's say, 6:20?" "Sounds good to me," she responded, "I'll see you later Luke, another customer just came in. Bye sweetie." She hung up before he was able to return the gesture. His brows furrowed in concern? Was something bothering her? Or was she really just flustered with the café being so busy? He vowed to find out later tonight when they had dinner.

At six, Haley left the café and went to go pick up Krissy from daycare before heading to Luigi's, a nice, quaint little Italian restaurant. As Haley waited for Lucas to arrive, she looked over her menu while keeping an eye on Krissy, who was scribbling on a piece of paper with some crayons. A waiter, not much older that her, came to take her drink order and gave her a disapproving and disappointed stare with a shake of his head. He thought to himself, 'Damn, how could someone as hot as you have two kids at your age?' She could just see the wheels turning in his head. 'Man, I'd want to tap that ass every chance I got too. She must have one damn lucky boyfriend.' His eyes brightened at a thought, 'What if she doesn't have a boyfriend? I've never had sex with a pregnant chick before…' He finally broke out of his thoughts when he realized that he had been standing there staring at her for two minutes. He cleared his throat and asked, "What would you like to drink, miss?" Haley turned to the little girl, "Hey Kris, what do you want to drink?" "Milk," she responded as she continued to color. "One Iced Tea, a Diet Coke, and a milk for the little sister," Haley said as she ruffled the girl's hair. His eyes widened a little at this information before he composed himself and responded, "I'll be right back with your drinks." He then walked to the kitchen to get the beverages.

A few minutes later, Lucas finally arrived and he greeted her with a soft kiss on the lips as he slid into the booth, "Hey sweetie, sorry I'm late. A car came in last minute needing an oil change." He then placed his hand on her stomach and rubbed gently before leaning down and kissing it, "Hi baby." She smiled widely, her eyes big and round with happiness. "Luke," Krissy called with her arms outstretched. He picked her up from her highchair and patted her back, "Hey Squirt. How are ya? "I'm good! Gimme a high five," she replied and he did so. He put her back in her chair again because she wanted to color. "What kind of kiss was that? That was like a grandma kiss," Haley smiled then looked down to her stomach and rubbed her hand across it, "your daddy isn't a very good kisser, baby." Lucas smirked, "Oh, I'll give you a kiss. Come here." She scooted closer to him and he pressed his mouth hard to hers, his tongue pushing lightly at her teeth for permission to enter. Haley wrapped her arms around his neck and he around her waist as they continued to explore each other's mouths.

"Eww, gross," Krissy said, breaking the moment, "you guys were kissing. Girls can get cooties from kissing boys." "That's right, so don't go kiss any boys okay." Lucas replied. Haley hit him lightly in the chest. "But you and Haley kiss. Is that how you have a baby inside, by kissing?" Both Haley and Lucas blushed and he responded, "No, but kissing can lead to other things which can lead to a baby." "What other things," the girl inquired curiously. "You'll understand when you're older, Squirt," Lucas answered. "Oh, okay. But I'm still not kissing any boys," she replied. "Good, that's the right way of thinking. No kissing boys until you're twenty-five and no dating until you're thirty years old," he said with a smile. "But Luke, that means you can't kiss me goodnight when you tuck me in," Krissy pouted with her bottom lip sticking out. "It's alright for me to kiss you. I won't give you cooties. I've had the Cootie shot; it keeps the cooties away," he explained. "Okay," Krissy said happily. Haley snuggled into his arms and kissed his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder. "You're going to be a great father," she said softly, "You already are."

"Are you sure you're alright? Is something bothering you? Because when I called earlier today…" he began that night as they laid in bed. "No, nothing's bothering me. I'm just tired. It was really busy at the café today, that's all," she replied, "Is something bothering you? You seemed kind of quiet tonight. Kind of broody, which I haven't seen in a while. What's up?" She took his hand into her own and kissed the back of it. He tensed a little, and he hoped she didn't feel it. She could almost always tell when he was lying. "Nah, nothing's wrong. I'm good," he responded as he kissed her hand back, "Let's get some sleep. I have to go into the shop extra early tomorrow since I went in late today. I love you Hales." "Love you too Luke," she replied softly. Somehow, she could sense he was keeping something from her. But what was it?


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Long time, no see! I'm finally back with another chapter of The Sweetest Sin. This story is getting near the end so I'm finding it harder to write and put into words what I want to say. You all know how that goes. Only a couple more chapters left! The next chapter will probably be pretty short compared to the normal chapters because I don't really have much planned for the next chapter. This is a Lucas and Haley-centric fic and with them separated, there's not much to write about. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter and hope it was worth the wait! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 19 **

Lucas dribbled the ball a few bounces before lifting it in his hands and making a free throw shot from center court. It banged harshly against the backboard and dropped to the ground, bouncing past him. "Damn boy, why you look so down? Is it the way you're shootin' because I know you sure as hell can play better than that," Skills' voice said from behind him. Lucas turned and Skills handed the basketball back to him and Lucas made another shot. The ball rolled around the rim a few times before falling through the hoop. "I got into High Flyers," Lucas finally spoke. "Really? Luke, that's awesome man! Congratulations!" Skills' eyes widened then he grasped Lucas' hand and pulled him in for a manly hug and pat on the back. "I can't go," Lucas responded softly as he stared down at the basketball in his hands, slowly rolling and squeezing it. "Why the hell not," Skills asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Luke man, this is an amazing opportunity you've been given here. You can't pass it up." "Haley's pregnant, Skills," Lucas replied. "Really? I didn't know that by the big bump in her stomach," Skills responded sarcastically. "I can't leave her. She can't take care of Kris by herself when she's this far along and no one will be there to help her or make sure she doesn't get hurt or strain herself or make her rest. With everything that's happened the past couple weeks…the hospital and the other night…A few days ago, I was heading to the daycare to pick up Kris after work and I found that I had three messages from my mom on my phone. Haley hadn't gone into work and she couldn't get a hold of her at the house or on her cell phone. She was worried that something was wrong or something had happened. I raced home and found her sleeping on the couch. She had only wanted to take an hour nap before she had to go to work but she ended up sleeping through until 6:30 when I came home and woke her up. I was so scared…What if something happened to her while I was gone? I can't leave her for two months, Skills."

Skills took a minute to digest all this before placing one of his hands on Lucas' shoulder, "You gotta do what you gotta do, man, and I can't make you go. But I think you'll regret it if you don't go." "No I won't," Lucas responded with a small smile, "Basketball will always be there for me, but Haley will only be pregnant with our first child once. I can't miss out on being there for her and our baby. That is what I would regret." Lucas bounced the ball a few times before shooting a free throw. This time it went in with ease and Lucas smiled. Skills patted his back, "You're a good man, Luke, good man. Now how about we play a little one on one?" "You're on," Lucas grinned.

Meanwhile, Haley was having a girls' day in back at the house. Brooke, Peyton and herself were all curled up on the couch with Haley in the middle. Krissy sat in between Haley and Peyton, who had Jenny over her shoulder, gently rubbing and patting her back. She was watching Jenny while Jake was at work. They were watching the movie 13 Going On 30, Haley's choice of course. You don't mess with a pregnant woman. They had found that out when they tried to change the channel to a different movie before they had chosen the movie they were currently watching now. "Hales, you ate all the popcorn," Brooke whined as she shook the empty bowl a little, the remaining kernels making noise as they rolled around inside. Haley shrugged unabashedly as she placed her hand on her stomach, "Sorry. The baby was hungry. I'll go make some more if you want." "The baby's not the only one that's hungry," Brooke muttered under her breath then said louder, "No, I'll make it. You sit and rest. Where's the box of popcorn?" "Kitchen pantry, left side, second shelf," Haley responded. Brooke got up and went to the kitchen to fix more popcorn for all of them and a few minutes later, Haley entered, wanting something to drink. She opened the cupboard and reached for a glass but they were too far back and she tried unsuccessfully a few more times before Brooke noticed and got one for her. Haley frowned as she rubbed a hand over her round stomach then accepted the cup and uttered a soft "Thanks" to Brooke. Brooke could see the tears in her eyes as Haley poured herself a glass of apple juice and she went over to hug her friend. She stroked her hair and rubbed her back comfortingly, "Sh, it's okay. I know what you're thinking and you're not fat, Hales. You're pregnant and in four months you'll have a beautiful little baby." Haley wrapped her arms around Brooke and nodded into her shoulder. After a few moments, Haley returned to the living room while Brooke continued to wait for the popcorn.

"Ow!" Haley exclaimed loudly as she placed a hand on her belly and rubbed slowly. "Oh my god! What's wrong," Brooke asked in panic as she ran into the room after hearing Haley yell. "Haley, what's the matter? Are you having pains again," Peyton inquired worriedly as she put Jenny down and placed her hand on Haley's arm. "Guys, I'm fine," Haley reassured them as she sighed, "the baby just kicked really hard. God, I swear this kid is going to be a soccer player instead of basketball. But don't tell Lucas I said that. He'd have a fit." Both Peyton and Brooke giggled then Peyton asked, "Can I feel?" "Ooh! I want to feel too," Brooke said excitedly. Haley nodded and smiled then the girls placed their hands on her stomach. "I can't feel anything," Brooke pouted. "Just give it a few minutes," she replied. Haley gently ran her fingernails over her belly, an act that always seemed to evoke a kick from inside and she was rewarded with one a few seconds later. "Here," she said, moving their hands to the spot, "feel it?" "Ooh, I felt it," Brooke responded giddily, her eyes and mouth wide with happiness and amazement. "Wow, that's amazing," Peyton replied. "Yeah, it is. But I can't wait to get this kid out. I don't know how much longer I can stand it trying to kick the organs out of my body. It hurts like hell sometimes, as you just witnessed," Haley said as she continued to move her hand over her stomach.

"Mommy, I'm tired," Krissy whined as she looked up at Haley. "Okay, come on kiddo. Let's go put you down for a nap," Haley responded. Peyton helped her up off the couch and Haley leaned down, picking up the little girl and carrying her to her bedroom down the hall. Haley dressed her in some pajamas then tucked her into bed, pulling the covers to her shoulders. She kissed her on the forehead, whispering, "Goodnight sweetie. I love you." "Love you too Mommy," Krissy mumbled as she drifted off to sleep clutching her stuffed dog and her thumb in her mouth. Haley smiled softly at the little girl before exiting the room and quietly closing the door behind her. She sank down onto the couch and rested her head back on the couch, sighing. "Are you tired," Peyton asked. "Nah, my feet just hurt. Another reason why I want this baby out; my feet always hurt and they've probably swollen up like balloons. I can't see them anymore," Haley frowned. "Aw Hales, they're not swollen. Want me to rub your feet," Peyton offered. "Please," Haley responded. "Here Hales, you can lie your head in my lap," Brooke said as she placed a throw pillow on her thighs. "Thanks," Haley replied as she carefully scooted over and lay down. Peyton started the movie back up and they continued to watch it as Peyton massaged her feet and Brooke started to rub her back after Haley complained of her back hurting as well.

"She's asleep," Brooke whispered an hour later once the movie was over. "Should we move her? She can't be comfortable lying in that position," Peyton remarked. "She looks pretty damn comfortable to me," Brooke grumbled quietly, "I don't know about you, but I have to pee. So if we don't move her…then we're gonna have a problem." "Alright, let's take her to the bedroom. Put your arm under her head and make sure you support her back. I'll get her legs," Peyton responded as she carefully lifted Haley's legs off her lap and slid from her spot on the couch. She then helped Brooke out from under Haley's head and together they gently hefted her into their arms and slowly, carefully, carried her to the bedroom. "Oh my god, she's freaking heavy," Brooke whined as she struggled to keep her hold on Haley, her arm muscles burning with pain. "I heard that," Haley mumbled, "and whoever has their hand on my butt, get it off." "Woops, sorry," Brooke responded as she moved her hand up a little bit to her lower back. They gently placed her on the bed and covered her up with the comforter and sheets. "Get some rest," Peyton whispered as she moved some hair from Haley's face. Haley snuggled deeper into her pillow as she turned on her side and mumbled, "Night Peyton, Brooke."

After they put Haley to bed, Brooke and Peyton tidied the house a little and cleaned up the mess from watching their movie and playing games to keep Haley occupied so she wouldn't be bored. While Peyton did the dishes, Brooke picked up the living room and kept an eye on Krissy as she played in her room. Lucas came home from work around 5:30 that evening and was surprised at what the girls hand done. He hugged them, "Thank you for cleaning up the house. I've been so busy with work and Haley can't really clean up because she can't bend down that well and she can't be around the chemicals. I don't want her cleaning anyway. It'll put too much strain on her. And thank you for keeping her company too. I know she would go crazy if she had to stay home all by herself. How is she?" "She's fine, sleeping," Peyton replied. "Krissy is playing in her room," Brooke added in. "Uh Brooke, did you have an accident or something," Lucas asked with a raised eyebrow, pointing to her skirt. Brooke looked down, alarmed. "Damn, Tutor Mom must have drooled on me," Brooke sighed. Both Peyton and Lucas burst out laughing at this then Brooke joined in.

"Guys, thanks again for helping out and spending time with her and taking care of Kris. I've got it from here. We'll see you guys tomorrow okay," Lucas responded after the laughter died down. The girls bid their farewells then left the house after promising they would return tomorrow. Lucas retrieved a towel from the linen closet then trudged to the bathroom for a shower. He was exhausted; the shop had been busy all day. He sighed as the warm water ran over his head and down his back, soothing his aching muscles. Once he got out of the shower, he dressed in a wife beater tank top and boxers then carefully slid into bed beside Haley. He wrapped his arms around her and placed one of his hands on her stomach, smiling as he drifted off to sleep, feeling the small movements of their child from within.

The next day Haley didn't have to go into the café so she did some small jobs around the house such as dusting, changing the sheets on the beds, washing clothes, and other various little odd jobs. She was in the utility room now, putting in a load of clothes. Haley sorted all the colors and threw some in, making sure to check the pockets of Lucas' pants. He was always leaving something in there; change, little pieces of paper like receipts. She had even once found some nuts and bolts from the shop in there. Haley picked up a pair of his jeans and searched the pockets, her hand finally grasping something in one of the back pockets. She pulled it out and saw that it was a folded up envelope. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Was he hiding something from her? Or had he simply forgotten he had put the envelope there? He had been kind of quiet, not very talkative or acting like his usual self, the past few days and she had wondered what was bothering him. Haley slowly unfolded the envelope and pulled out the letter, reading it once then over and over again as her eyes widened surprise. Lucas had gotten into High Flyers. Why hadn't he said anything? Why had she lied to him?

Lucas was at the shop working on an engine with Keith when his cell phone rang. He wiped his hands with a cloth and pulled his phone out, "Hel-" "LUCAS EUGENE SCOTT! HOW COULD YOU LIE TO ME," Haley's shrill voice, filled with emotion, sounded over the line. "Uh oh, doesn't sound like the wife is too happy," Keith joked from beside him as he tightened a bolt. Lucas glared at him for a moment before talking into the phone, "Hales, what's wrong? What did I lie to you about? I seriously don't know what you're talking about…" "Get your ass home, RIGHT NOW," she shouted before hanging up on him. "Trouble in paradise," Keith asked with a raised eyebrow. "I guess so…" Lucas replied, still staring at his phone, then looked up to him, "I've got to go home and sort this out. Will you be able to handle everything by yourself?" Keith smiled and nodded his head towards the door, "Go." Lucas quickly grabbed his bag and ran to the Jeep parked outside.

Lucas entered the house and called out, "Hales?" He heard crying and followed it quickly, finding Haley crying with her head in her hands at the kitchen table. He walked over and placed his hand on her back, "Honey, I haven't lied to you…Why would you think I lied to you?" She flinched away from him and he sadly dropped his hand. She stared up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks, "The other night I asked you if something was bothering you and you told me everything was fine. Ever since that day, you've been quiet and not acting your usual self…" "Hales, I haven't been lying to you. Everything is fine," Lucas repeated. Haley's expression turned to anger as she thrust the envelope into his chest, making him wince a little in pain, "I found this in your jeans pocket when I was doing the laundry." "Oh, that," Lucas responded solemnly as he looked at the envelope then shifted his gaze to the floor. "Why didn't you tell me you got in? How could you keep this from me? You lied to me," Haley screamed as more tears fell from her eyes. Lucas tried to comfort her, hug her, but she pulled away, waiting for an answer. "I didn't want to go. It wasn't the right time. With you being pregnant…I didn't want to leave you right now…Please Hales, try to understand…" Lucas begged her with his eyes. "I-I need some space, some time to think…" Haley stuttered, still crying, as she turned and grabbed her jacket. "Hales, honey, please don't leave…" Lucas gently grabbed her arm. "Let go of me Luke. I don't want to be around you right now," she pleaded softly. Lucas reluctantly let her go and she walked out the door. Lucas sank down into a chair and buried his head in his hands.

Haley drove to Peyton's and entered her house without knocking because Peyton usually had her music turned up loud, preventing her from hearing the doorbell or a knock. She walked to her room and opened her door, calling out to her through her tears, "Peyton?" Her mouth gaped open. Jake and Peyton immediately pulled away from their make out session on the bed at the sound of Haley's voice. "I-I'm so sorry. I should have knocked. I-I'll um, come back later," she whispered uncomfortably then started to turn away. Peyton, seeing the tears in her friend's eyes, rose from the bed and walked over to her concernedly, "No, it's okay. Hales, what's wrong?" "He-He lied to me, Peyton," Haley sobbed as she covered her face with her hands. Jake got off the bed and kissed Peyton's cheek, whispering, "I'll see you later." She smiled at him gratefully before mouthing "Bye" to him.

Peyton led Haley over to the bed and lowered her onto it, gazing at her concernedly with confusion in her eyes, "He lied to you?" Haley nodded as she let out a squeaky "Mhmm". She then spoke in a shaky voice as she buried her head into Peyton's shoulder, "A-A few days ago he was acting a little weird so I-I asked him if there was anything bothering him and he-he said everything was fine…he still acted weird the past couple days, quiet and kind of broody, you know? He hasn't acted that way in a while and then today I found…" "Found what," Peyton asked worriedly. "I-I found a folded up envelope in the back pocket of his jeans…I-It was from that High Flyers basketball camp and he got in…He didn't even tell me, Peyton." Now Peyton was wondering why he hadn't told Haley. "Did he say why he didn't tell you," she asked. "He said he didn't want to go, that it wasn't the right time…but when will it be the right time?" Haley ranted. "Maybe he didn't want to leave you because you're pregnant," Peyton started but was cut off by Haley. "That shouldn't matter! This is a once in a lifetime chance! He'll probably never get it back again! I'll still be here when he gets back; I'll still be pregnant. Nothing is going to change," she said exasperatedly.

Peyton sighed, "I'm not going to argue with you Hales. Lucas is a big boy, he can make his own decisions and if he doesn't want to go, then I wouldn't force him." "But it's his dream to play pro basketball," Haley shouted, "and this camp will help him do that! I-I don't know what to do anymore…" She started crying again and Peyton wrapped her arms around her friend. "Sh…" she whispered as she stroked Haley's hair. "Peyton," Haley asked quietly a few minutes later, "I'm tired. Could I take a nap here? I really don't feel like going home right now." "Sure sweetie," Peyton rubbed her back, "let's get you under the covers." Peyton pulled off Haley's shoes and placed the covers up to her shoulders, laying a gentle kiss on her forehead, "Get some sleep." "Peyton," Haley whispered, beginning to drift off. "Yeah?" "Thanks. For being there for me and talking things out with me," she responded. Peyton smiled, "No problem Hales." She then quietly left the room, turning out the light and closing the door behind her.

Later that evening, Haley returned home with her mind set and determined. Lucas' dream was to play pro basketball and she wouldn't be the cause of him missing out on such an amazing opportunity. Lucas was going to that camp no matter what he said. She walked into the living room and found him on the couch reading a book. The second he saw her, he jumped up and went to hug her, "Hales!" He wrapped his arms around her, thankful she didn't pull away this time as he kissed her cheek and stroked her hair. "Hales, I am so sorry I didn't tell you about the letter. I didn't want to go with you being pregnant and after we had those scares…I don't want to be away from you right now…" "You're going to that camp," Haley stated firmly into his ear. He pulled away slightly, "What? No, I'm not going to the camp, Hales. I'm not leaving you." "Lucas, playing pro basketball is your dream and this camp can help you get there. I'm not going to stand in the way of that. Nothing is going to change while you're gone; I'll still be pregnant. I'll be fine while you're gone," Haley responded. "No, I'm not going," Lucas reiterated firmly. "Dammit! Lucas Eugene Scott! I know deep down you really want to go and you think you can't because of me. Well, I won't have any of it! You're going to that camp no matter what you say or think even if I have to drive you down there myself! So start packing!" Haley was breathing heavily from her tirade and being worked up by Lucas' stubbornness. Lucas knew not to argue with the expression she was currently wearing on her face.

He stared into her eyes for a moment before tearing his gaze away and looking down at the ground, hanging his head in defeat. Tears welled in his eyes at the thought of leaving her and the baby and Kris. He slowly walked forward and wrapped his arms around her, burying his nose in her hair, trying to memorize her scent. He pulled away a few minutes later, staring into her eyes again. His whispered with his voice full of emotion, "Okay, I'll go, but on two conditions…" "What," she asked. "One, I want Peyton or Brooke, preferably both, to come stay with you while I'm gone. You can't take care of Kris all by yourself and I'd feel better if someone was here to keep an eye on you. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby…" he said quietly, gazing into her eyes then looking down and rubbing his hand across her belly. "Are you crazy? Brooke around 24/7! I'll go nuts," Haley exclaimed. "Peyton then," Lucas chuckled. "Okay," she replied. "Two, I want you to call me every night. I don't care what it's going to do to our phone bill or if nothing really happened that day. I need to hear your voice every night and I want to be able to say goodnight to Kris and the baby. Talk to the baby about me? I don't want the baby to forget about me," Lucas pouted.

Haley laughed, "Lucas, the baby isn't even born yet." "I know. It's just that I'll be gone for two months. They baby might forget the sound of my voice because I won't be there to talk to it. I don't want the baby to forget about me completely," he began to pout even more at the thought of this. She hugged him tightly, "I promise." She then kissed him tenderly for several moments, gently pressing her lips to his. Lucas moaned slightly as he pulled her closer to him, "I'm going to miss you so much…" Tears started to well in his eyes and he felt a light kick against his abdomen from Haley's stomach between them. He rubbed it a few turns then leaned down and kissed her belly, "Daddy's gonna miss you too baby. You be a good baby for Mommy while I'm gone, don't give her any trouble, okay?" He felt another kick against his abs and smiled. "When do you have to leave," Haley asked, tears forming in her own eyes. Lucas' smile faded, "Two days." "Two days? So soon? I thought we'd have more time together…" she was crying more now and Lucas pulled her to him, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. "Sh…" he whispered, kissing her forehead softly.

Two days later, it was time for Lucas to go. Every minute in the past two days, both waking and sleeping, had been spent together and with Kris. Whenever he got the chance, Lucas would talk to their unborn child and rub her belly, feeling the baby kick, until sometimes he did it so often that it annoyed Haley and she would swat his hands away. Lucas had made sure Peyton had 'moved in' so to speak earlier that morning so Haley wouldn't be alone after he left. He knew she would break down crying after he was gone. They all now stood on the porch to say their goodbyes. Lucas took Kris from Haley and held her in his arms, "Okay baby girl, Daddy's gotta go. I'm going to miss you so much sweetie." Krissy pouted and started to cry, "I'm going to miss you too Daddy. How long are you gonna be gone?" "Two months," he replied. "Two months? That's a LONG time Daddy. Who's gonna play basketball with me," she asked as she looked up at him, her puppy dog pout in full effect on her face. Lucas responded, "Mommy or Peyton can take you down to the rivercourt and Skills or Fergie will play with you." "It's not the same Daddy, they don't play as good as you," she answered. Lucas smirked, boy would Skills and Fergie love to hear that. "I know sweetie, but Daddy will be home before you know it and then we can play basketball all the time to make up for it. It'll make Mommy go crazy," he smirked as he tickled her.

"Yes it will," Haley had to smile a little through the pain of her heart breaking at the thought that Lucas was leaving her for two months, "Daddy has to get going Kris, say goodbye to him okay?" She nodded and turned back to Lucas, wrapping her small arms as best she could around his neck, "I'll miss you Daddy. Come back soon." "I'll miss you too Kris. I love you so much. You take care of Mommy and Baby, okay Squirt?" She nodded and then Haley took the little girl from him and handed her to Peyton, "Sweetie, why don't you go with Peyton and she'll get you a snack alright?" Krissy nodded and waved sadly to Lucas as Peyton carried her into the kitchen, "Bye Daddy." "Bye Squirt," he replied as he waved back slowly. Lucas then turned to Haley, who was crying with silent tears falling down her cheeks, her chin and lower lip trembling. Lucas gently cupped her face in his hands and stared into her watery brown eyes, "Hales, please don't cry. You know I hate seeing you cry." "I-I can't help it. You-You're going away for two months and I won't be able to see you every day. I'm going to miss you so much…it's going to be hell without you here…" Lucas rubbed her back, trying to soothe her, "I know. It'll be hard, but we'll talk to each other every night and maybe after awhile I'll ask the coach if you can come up for a visit, okay? Just make sure you rest and don't strain yourself, take it easy. I don't want anything happening to you or the baby while I'm gone, or ever. I love you so much Hales." He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down, kissing her mouth gently. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice choked up with emotion.

Lucas placed both hands on the sides of her stomach and rubbed gently, talking to their unborn child, "I love you baby. You be good for Mommy and don't forget about me okay? I'm going to miss you too." He kissed her belly tenderly and a few moments later, he felt a kick from inside. He smiled and stood there a few more minutes, feeling their child kick against his hands since he would be gone for two long months without feeling it again. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, savoring his last moments with her before he had to leave. He looked up when he heard footsteps and saw Peyton returning minus Krissy. He pulled away from Haley and turned to her, wrapping his arms around his friend and whispering in her ear, "Thanks for taking care of my family for me while I'm gone. Take good care of them for me. Make sure Haley rests, okay?" She nodded, tears forming in her own eyes, "I will Luke." Lucas turned back to Haley and hugged her close to him, "I love you. Call me if you need anything okay? I'll call you when I get there." Haley nodded, too full of emotion to speak. "Okay, I have to get going or I'll be late for check-in," Lucas responded softly. He kissed her one last time, a passionate yet loving kiss that lasted several moments before he reluctantly pulled away. "Bye," he whispered, his heart breaking at having to leave his family. "Bye," Haley managed to squeak out. He rubbed her belly and kissed her one last time before heading out the door to his Jeep, already packed with his bags. He looked back sadly for a minute before continuing on, starting the car and pulling out of the driveway, heading down the street. Haley watched from the window and as soon as he was out of sight, she turned and collapsed into Peyton's arms, sobbing.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated this story! I was busy with trying to get FOWB finished and on that note, I'm sad to say that The Sweetest Sin will be ending in the NEXT chapter, meaning ONE more chapter left! Won't you all be so sad? LOL I know you'll miss me! I'm starting college on Monday so I won't have as much time to write as I used to because I will be working too. I might only have time to write on weekends which really sucks but I guess you gotta take what you can get. I'll try to get some one parters or short stories out to you guys, but I don't think I will be writing any long stories right now, except for ITPOAA, which to those of you who read it, I will be trying to get a chapter out to you guys after I finish TSS. Anyways, wish me luck on my first week of classes and hope I'm not running around like a chicken with my head cut off! Lol. I hope you like this chapter! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T, some mildM at the end.

**The Sweetest Sin**

**Chapter 20 **

"Come on Haley, you have to get up. You can't lie around and mope all day 24/7 for another month. Besides, you've got something to look forward to. You have your doctor's appointment today. You'll get to see the baby," Peyton tried to cheer her friend up as she sat on the edge of the bed and patted her on the hip. A small smile formed on Haley's lips as she looked down at her stomach and placed her hand on her belly, rubbing gently in a circle. "There's that smile," Peyton grinned as she touched her cheek with an index finger. "Haley, I'm hungry," Krissy whined as she entered the room. "You go with Peyton, honey, and she'll fix you something to eat," Haley responded. "But I want you to fix it. You make the best macaroni and cheese," the little girl replied. Haley sighed as she slowly sat up with help from Peyton, "Alright, I'll start making it in a minute." "Yay," Krissy cheered as she bounced up and down a few times before running off.

Once Krissy was happily eating her macaroni and cheese, Haley went back to the bedroom to lie down again and Peyton followed after her. "You aren't going to eat? Macaroni is your favorite food," Peyton stated concernedly. "I'm not hungry," Haley mumbled, her face in a pillow. "Haley, you've got to eat. Lucas has been gone for a month and you hardly eat at all. You were underweight as it is from your last doctor's visit. It's not good for you or the baby to not be eating. Please, just eat something Hales," Peyton pleaded with her, a worried look in her eyes, as she placed her hand on Haley's arm. Haley turned her head to face her and her cheeks were now red, tears falling from her eyes as she sniffled, "I miss him so much…" "I know you do sweetie," Peyton replied as she stroked her head and moved some hair out of her face. After a few minutes of Peyton rubbing her back to comfort her, Peyton asked, "How about I make you some soup? Chicken noodle? Will you eat if I make it?" Haley nodded slowly in response as she stared at the picture of her and Lucas on her nightstand, reaching for it and holding it close to her chest. Peyton rubbed her leg sympathetically before rising from the bed and heading to the kitchen to make the soup.

A few hours later, after Haley had taken her midday nap, Haley and Peyton got ready to go to the hospital for the doctor's visit. Peyton was changing Krissy's clothes while Haley got dressed herself in the bedroom. As she buttoned up her blouse, she stared longingly at the picture frame on her nightstand again. She walked over and sat on the bed, sighing as she lightly caressed his face with an index finger then rubbed her stomach. "I wish your daddy was here, baby. I know he would be here if he could, but he's up in Charleston learning to be a better basketball player, not that he isn't already. You're going to love basketball, baby, whether you're a boy or a girl. Of course Mommy can't play worth her life but your daddy is the best basketball player there ever was, at least in Mommy's book. I'll get to see you for the first time today, baby. I'm so excited. I wish Daddy was here with me so he could see you too. I wish I could share it with him. It's one of those things that should be experienced together, one of those precious moments that nothing can compare to seeing your child on that screen. I love you so much baby." A few tears fell down her cheeks as she rubbed her stomach slowly, talking to her unborn child.

"Hey Hales, you ready to go," Peyton asked as she knocked on the door and entered the room. "Yeah," she responded and Peyton helped her to her feet. Peyton gathered the bag of stuff to keep Krissy entertained while Haley had her appointment then picked up the little girl, placing Krissy on her hip. They had decided there was no point in dropping Krissy off with Karen for only an hour or two so they brought her along with them to the hospital. As they walked through the halls and used the elevator to get up to the maternity ward, Haley received a few dirty looks and people shook their heads after staring at her protruding stomach and the little girl in her arms, obviously thinking that Krissy was hers and that Haley was a teenage mother who already had two kids. Haley just held her head high and ignored them, knowing that she was in love with her best friend and he was in love with her. Lucas was there for her and would always be there for her and their children, which was more than what most teenage mothers had. Haley played and talked with Krissy while they waited and finally she was called ten minutes later.

"The doctor will be in shortly. Please put this gown on so the doctor can do her examination," the nurse said as the three girls entered the room. "Thank you," Haley replied as she took the gown from the woman and the nurse left. Haley went to go change into the gown in the bathroom and once she came out, Peyton helped her up onto the table. There was a knock on the door and then the doctor entered, smiling, "Good afternoon, Haley. It's good to see you again. Where is Lucas today?" Haley's smile faded a little as she responded, "He's up in Charleston for two months at a basketball camp. This is my friend Peyton and my sister, Krissy. Peyton's staying with me while Lucas is gone so she can help out around the house and take care of Krissy while watching me like a hawk." She grumbled this last part and the doctor laughed. "How have you been feeling lately? Morning sickness, fatigue? Aches and pains?" Dr. Carter asked. "The morning sickness comes and goes but it's not as frequent as it used to be. Of course I'm always tired, I'm carrying around thirty pounds of extra weight," Haley smiled as she touched her stomach, "No pain really, just the normal back aches and my feet hurting." "That's good," Dr. Carter nodded as she wrote down the information on her chart, "Okay Haley, I want you to come over here and get on this scale so we can weigh you." Haley did as told and the doctor frowned after a few moments, "You've gained a few pounds, but you're still underweight. You need to eat more, Haley. If you don't, your baby could be born premature and underweight as well."

"I know," Haley sighed, "I just haven't really felt like eating a lot lately. I've been kind of depressed since Lucas left…" "Have you talked to him at all? Maybe you could go see him," the doctor suggested. "We talk every night, but it's just not the same…" Haley whispered as tears started to form behind her eyes, "I don't want to distract him. I'm not sure if I'm even allowed to visit." "Well why don't you call and ask? It couldn't hurt. A visit will do you good," Dr. Carter replied then changed subjects, "So, you're here for your first ultrasound?" Haley nodded and Krissy exclaimed happily, bouncing in Peyton's arms, "We get to see the baby!" All three women chuckled softly at the little girl's excitement. "Okay Haley, lie back and unbutton your blouse for me. This gel is going to be a little cold," the doctor instructed as she put on some gloves. Haley opened her shirt up a few buttons from the bottom and pushed the material to the side, exposing her round stomach. Dr. Carter applied the gel to her stomach and Haley flinched a little at the coldness of it. "Sorry," the doctor replied then began to move the transducer over her belly, searching for the baby on the black and white screen of the ultrasound machine.

A few minutes later, Dr. Carter pointed to the screen, "There's the head…the arms…legs…Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" Haley nodded as she sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes. The doctor flipped a switch and wonderful sound of her baby's heartbeat filled the room. More tears fell down Haley's cheeks as she listened to it. "Good strong heartbeat. Would you like to know the sex of the baby," Dr. Carter asked. Haley nodded again, too full of emotion to speak. The doctor moved the transducer over her stomach a little more, trying to find a good position to tell the sex of the baby. After a few moments, Dr. Carter smiled as she responded, "Congratulations Haley, you're having a…"

It had been a week since Haley had found out the sex of the baby but despite being happy about knowing, she was miserable without Lucas. She didn't want to tell him over the phone; it was something to be done in person, but she didn't know if she could stand waiting another three weeks until Lucas came back to tell him. While both Haley and Krissy were taking a nap, Peyton sat on the couch with the phone in her hands, dialing the number for the hotel that the camp had put Lucas and all the players up in for the duration of the training camp. Before he left, Lucas had secretly asked Peyton to give him weekly updates on Haley because he knew Haley would lie and pretend everything was okay when it wasn't. There was no answer when she called his hotel room so she tried his cell phone. After a few rings, Lucas finally answered, "Hales?" "No, it's Peyton," she answered. "Oh, hey Peyton. What's up," he asked. "I'm sorry, I'm not interrupting you from training am I," she inquired, hearing male voices and bouncing basketballs in the background, "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, the guys are just doing some free throws, no biggie," Lucas responded, "Now, what's up? Is everything going okay with Haley?" Peyton sighed, she didn't want to tell him everything that had been going on since he'd been gone but for Haley and the baby's sake, she had to tell him. "She misses you Luke; she's miserable. She hardly eats and she doesn't sleep well. She doesn't really want to go out or do anything. She's depressed, Luke. We went to the doctor last week and she's still underweight. I try to get her to eat and sometimes she eats a little, but other times she says she isn't hungry. The doctor said that if she doesn't eat more and gain more weight, the baby could be born premature or underweight. I'm worried, Luke. She isn't doing too well," Peyton explained as tears formed in her eyes. Fear and sadness struck Lucas' heart as he listened to Peyton describe how bad Haley was taking the loss of him not being there. He closed his eyes as his own tears spilled onto his cheeks. "Bring her to me," he whispered. "What," Peyton asked, not quite hearing what he had said. "Bring her to me," he repeated louder, "Come up here to Charleston." "Are you sure you're allowed to," Peyton questioned uncertainly. "I don't care. I need to see her, I miss her so much, but I think she needs it more than I do. Tomorrow the coach is giving us the day off to rest since we've been working so hard. Bring her up tomorrow," Lucas replied. "Okay, tomorrow," Peyton responded. They said their goodbyes and hung up their phones a few minutes later.

The next day while Haley was taking her mid-morning nap, Peyton got everything ready for their trip and dropped Krissy off with Karen, who had agreed to take care of the little girl while they were gone. At a little after ten, Peyton went into Haley's bedroom and gently shook her awake. "Hales, come on, wake up," Peyton said quietly. "Mmm," Haley groaned as she pulled the covers further up around her body, "go away. Let me sleep…" Peyton grabbed the covers and pulled them all the way off the bed, "No, come on Haley, get up. We're going out. You need to get some fresh air." "I don't want to go out, I want to stay inside and sleep," she mumbled with her head buried in her pillow, "give me back my covers." "Haley Elizabeth James, you get your ass out of bed right now or I swear to god I will drag you out of that bed kick and screaming if I have to," Peyton shouted, frustrated with her resistance. She wanted the keep the visit a secret for as long as she could, but with the way things were looking, she might have to tell Haley just to get her out of bed. "You wouldn't," Haley mumbled as she buried her head further into her pillow. Peyton grabbed her ankles and began to pull her towards the edge of the bed. Haley shrieked in fright, not really thinking that Peyton would actually do it, "Okay, okay, I'm up!" "Good," Peyton replied as she helped her friend sit up then stand to her feet, "now go get dressed. We're leaving in twenty minutes."

Forty-five minutes later, Peyton screamed, "Haley, come on! We should have left twenty-five minutes ago!" "God, I'm coming! What's gotten up your ass today? I thought we were just going out. Where are we going that's so time-sensitive," Haley asked as she appeared from the hallway. "That's for me to know and you to find out," Peyton replied secretively. Haley let out a huff of frustration then her brows furrowed as she looked around, "Hey, where's Kris?" "She's with Karen, now come on," Peyton responded impatiently as grabbed her hand and began to lead her outside the house. "Wait, can't I get something to eat first," she inquired. "We'll stop at McDonald's or something on the way," Peyton replied. "Are you ever going to tell me where in the hell you're taking me? First you wake me from a deep sleep only to drag me out of bed then harass me for the next forty-five minutes how we're going to be late and I don't even know where we're going," Haley ranted as Peyton led her to the car. "You'll find out soon enough," the blonde replied. "What's with all this secretive mumbo jumbo crap? Why can't you just tell me," she inquired grouchily. "Because it's a surprise," Peyton responded, "now stop complaining and just enjoy the ride." "You better be careful driving. I don't want to end up in the hospital, or worse, the obituaries," Haley said sarcastically. "Don't talk like that," Peyton stated firmly. "Hey, blame my weird comments on yourself. You're the one who pulled me out of bed at ten in the morning and now I'm suffering from sleep deprivation because of it." "You can take a nap if you want. It actually might be better if you did. It would stop your mouth from running and save my sanity," Peyton chuckled as she gave Haley a lopsided grin. "Hey," Haley scoffed as she slapped her on the arm with the back of her hand, "just get in the damn car and drive."

Haley had promptly fallen back asleep fifteen minutes into the drive after they had stopped off at McDonald's for some breakfast sandwiches. Peyton became increasingly bored as she drove along the almost deserted I-90 highway towards Charleston. Haley was asleep, therefore she had no one to talk to and she couldn't turn on the radio because it would wake her. One pit stop at a convenience store for a bathroom break and gas and two hours later, Peyton arrived at the small park Lucas had told her to meet him at with Haley still fast asleep in the passenger seat. She carefully and quietly slipped out of the car and walked a few feet away so she could call Lucas to tell him that they had arrived. She dialed Luke's cell and he answered two rings later, "Hello?" "Hey Luke, it's Peyton. I just wanted to let you know we're here. Haley's still napping but I'll wake her up in a few minutes…" "I'll be there in ten minutes," Lucas replied eagerly as he smiled at the thought of seeing his girlfriend. They quickly said their goodbyes and Lucas grabbed his keys, racing outside of his hotel room to his car.

He pulled up beside the familiar black convertible and when he stopped the car, he stared over at the passenger side of Peyton's car, seeing that the seat was empty and the door open. He quickly looked up over the top of the car and saw Haley's beautiful face staring back at him, her chin and lower lip beginning to tremble. Peyton, having helped Haley out of the car, stood next to her with a soft smile on her face as she watched the two people who were very much in love reunite after a month-long separation. At the sight of his beautiful girlfriend, Lucas jumped out of his car and raced around Peyton's car, enveloping her in a strong embrace and pressing his mouth hard to hers. "I missed you so much…I just had to come…" Haley whispered, crying as she continued to kiss him. "God, I missed you too…" Lucas murmured into her ear. He placed his hand at the back of her head and she buried her head in his chest as he kissed her temple. Peyton decided to give them some time alone so she walked over to the playground and for the first time in years since she was a little girl, she sat the swings and gently began to move back and forth, pumping her legs slowly. Lucas wrapped an arm around Haley's waist as he led her over to a bench and helped lower her onto it before sitting down beside her.

"Peyton told me you haven't been eating or sleeping well and that you've been depressed, not wanting to go outside or do anything. Why didn't you tell me it was this bad," he asked concernedly as he took her hand in his, entwining their fingers, and gently stroked her cheek. "I'm sorry," she sniffled as tears came to her eyes, "I didn't want to distract you with my problems or make you come home…I didn't want to worry you…" "Honey, it's my job to worry. I'm the brooder, remember," he softly wiped the tears from her eyes with his thumb as she chuckled lightly, "Hales, I want you to tell me these things. I want you tell me if something, anything is bothering you or if you're feeling sad or depressed. I worry when you don't talk to me." He rubbed her back in slow circles and she tenderly kissed him on the lips. "I'm sorry," she responded as she wrapped her arms around him. "You've got to eat more, Hales. Peyton told me that the doctor said you're still underweight and if you don't gain some more, the baby could be born premature and underweight. I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby, Hales," Lucas responded as she brushed some hair out of her face. "I know, I'll try," she responded and Lucas gave her a stern look then she said, "I will."

"Good," Lucas' mouth softened into a smile as he kissed her forehead, "Now, don't you have something to tell me?" His grin gets even wider, waiting for her special news. "Uh, I love you," she responded uncertainly, but really joking, knowing what he really wanted. "No, I mean about a certain special appointment with the doctor last week," he placed his hand on her stomach and rubbed gently. "Ohhh, that," she replied as if it were finally dawning on her, but didn't say anything else to prolong his frustration from not getting an answer from her. She loved playing with him. "Well, what is it? Boy or girl," Lucas asked anxiously. Haley took both of his hands in hers and placed them back on her belly then hers on top of his as she smiled up at him, tears already forming in her eyes again. "It's a boy. We have a son, Lucas, a son," she whispered. Lucas engulfed her in a large hug and pulled her to him, his own tears flowing freely down his cheeks. "A son? A son!" he exclaimed as he laughed joyously then whispered in her ear, his voice choked up with emotion, "Braden…" Lucas kissed her softly for several minutes but pulled away only to place a gentle kiss on her belly, "Daddy loves you, Braden." Now Haley pulled him in for a kiss as she smiled, murmuring against his lips, "I love you." "I love you too," Lucas responded, pecking her on the nose, causing Haley to giggle.

Haley and Lucas spent the whole day together, and sometimes with Peyton, walking around Charleston and taking in the sights of the bustling city. Later that evening, they walked along the beach holding hands as the sun slowly descended from the sky. Lucas lifted their linked hands to his lips and softly kissed the back of her hand. She smiled back at him, amazed at how just that small, simple act made her heart swell with love. "I have a surprise for you," he murmured as he untangled their fingers and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Where is it? What is it," she inquired, excitement rising within her. Was it what she thought it was? She had been hoping for months now, ever since she had told Lucas she was pregnant in fact, that he would get down on one knee and pop the one question she had been waiting to hear all her life. "When I get back from the camp, I want us to go away for a weekend. Keith gave me the keys to his cabin up in the mountains and I thought we could go up there and just relax for a little bit. It will probably be the last time we'll be able to spend some quality alone time together after Braden comes," Lucas replied as he ran his free hand over her stomach. "That sounds wonderful," Haley smiled as she leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a light kiss on his lips, "I love you…" The kiss slowly became more passionate until they broke apart, both breathing heavily. "Let's go back to the hotel," Lucas replied, giving her a slow, tantalizing kiss, leaving her wanting for more.

"Luke…sh…be quiet! You're going to wake up Peyton," Haley giggled as Lucas loudly fumbled with the lock on the door while he continued to trail kissed down Haley's neck. "I can't help it," he mumbled into her neck, "you're too irresistible and this damn lock is near impossible to unlock." "Well maybe you would fare better if you pulled your face away from my chest," she responded sarcastically, laughing. "Ha ha," he responded dryly as he finally got the door unlocked, "now get into that bed!" "But Luke…Peyton…" she responded uncertainly. "We'll be quiet," he replied as he quickly made his way over to the bed, pulling her with him. "Since when have we ever been quiet," she giggled softly, a smirk playing on her lips. "We'll just have to be," he stated firmly as he pressed his hot mouth to hers, letting her know how much he wanted her right then, "besides, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. Peyton could sleep through the next world war and still wouldn't wake up." Haley giggled again as she laid down on the bed, "Okay, take me soldier." "Anything for my country," he smiled as he leaned down to kiss her. His hands quickly found the hem of her shirt and he lifted it over her head, tossing it to the floor then ran his hands over her stomach, feeling their son kicking from inside. Their son. It was so amazing knowing that they were going to have a little boy in a few months. He would be able to teach him basketball and do all the great things dads got to do with their sons...

He was brought out of his thoughts by Haley unbuttoning his jeans and tugging down the zipper. He brought his hands up to gently cup her breasts before undoing the clasp in the back. That too was thrown to the floor and Lucas gently grazed his fingers over her engorged breasts, careful not to hurt her. He placed a light kiss on top of each one before he flicked first one nipple then the other. He started to suckle one and Haley moaned sensually, causing him to further his actions. Haley moaned again as he began to suck a little harder, "Luke…" Suddenly, Peyton's voice was heard, "That's it, I'm leaving! I'll go find one of your guy friends or sleep out in the hallway, in my car or something because I don't want to hear you two having sex all night!" "Peyton," Haley replied, her breaths heavy, but before she could say anything else, Peyton interrupted her. "Don't turn on the light! I don't want to see you two naked," she shouted, shielding her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning. Don't have too much fun now, ya hear? Oh, and practice safe sex," Peyton snorted as she shook her head and left the hotel room, muttering to herself, "I should've known not to room with those two."


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Aww tear This is the LAST chapter! Sorry it took so long to get the last chapter up! School's been really hectic. Whoever heard of reading 30 page chapters in like one night! For TWO classes! Ugh, so again I'm sorry for the long wait. To make up for it though, this last chapter is 14 pages long, typed! That makes this the longest chapter I have EVER written yet! Anyways, I think it gets kind of crappy at the end, sort of mundane things, but I don't want to give anything more away, so read the chapter! Since this story is finished, I'll be mainly focusing on ITPOAA for awhile (still trying to get out of that horrible writer's block I dug myself into) but I may have a short Laley story after a little bit; I'm still developing the storyline. Anyways, I'll let you get to reading the chapter…I hope you like it! As always, please read and review!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. One Tree Hill and its characters are property of the WB.

**Rating: **K+ to T, maybe some R depending on your age lol.

**Tardychick: **Even though Lucas and Haley have custody of Krissy now, she will still call Lucas and Haley, Mommy and Daddy or Luke and Haley, because she is still Haley's sister even though they consider Krissy to be their daughter. Also, with guardianship or custody, it's not really the same as adoption. Say for example your parents died and the only relative you had was maybe an uncle and you went to live with him because he became your guardian until you're eighteen. You wouldn't call him dad, would you? It's kind of the same in this situation. They have guardianship of her but they did not legally adopt her as their daughter because they already consider her their daughter and they don't need a piece of paper to tell them that. Plus, if they were to adopt her, it might create confusion later on as she grows older, Krissy calling her Mommy all the time when Haley is really her sister. Do you kind of get what I mean? I hope that helped. If not, let me know!

**The Sweetest Sin **

**Chapter 21 **

"Hey Hales, are your bags all packed and ready to go," Lucas asked as he entered the bedroom. "Yeah," she replied as she zipped up the last bag and plopped down onto the bed beside it. She rubbed her hand over her stomach as she sighed, "Braden's kicking a lot today. I feel like I'm one big punching bag to him." Lucas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close as he kissed her forehead then gently ran his hand over her belly, "Braden, stop giving Mommy a hard time. If you're nice I'll make Mommy eat something very sweet and fattening so she'll gain more weight. We don't want you to come out too early now do we?" Haley lightly slapped him in the chest, "Luke!" "He's probably just excited about seeing the snow," Lucas replied with a grin. "Lucas, he won't actually see the snow," Haley responded. Lucas smirked with a devilish gleam in his eye and her mouth opened as her eyes widened, "Lucas Scott, you better not stick snow down my shirt! Last year when you threw some down the front of my shirt it got into my bra and I had hard nipples for two freaking days and I was still freezing two days later!" "Oh really? I just thought you were perky because you were happy to see me," he chuckled with that smirk still firmly in place. "Luke," she slapped him again, "And if I remember correctly, a week later I was sick in bed with the flu!" "Yeah, and I came and took care of you, brought you chicken soup, catered to your every need…" he responded.

"It's okay to admit that you're whipped Luke," Peyton said from the doorway with a smile on her face as she leaned against the frame. "Didn't you move out already," Lucas asked with a sarcastic grin. "I thought I'd see you two off before I left," she responded with a smirk, "god knows you two would never leave if I left you unsupervised." "Get out Goldilocks, so I can have sex with my boyfriend," Haley ordered with a smile as she wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck and started to kiss him slowly. "Okay! God, don't do it right in front of me! I'm still scarred from last time when we were up in Charleston!" "You didn't even see anything," Lucas responded, "the lights were out." "But I could hear you two going at it," Peyton exclaimed. "You could've covered your ears or used ear plugs," Haley suggested. "What, and just lie there while you two did it only a few feet away? I think not!" Haley giggled then pressed her lips to Lucas', kissing him gently. "Alright, I'm gone," Peyton replied with a wave as she walked out of the bedroom, "have a fun weekend away from Tree Hill!" "Bye Peyt," Haley called out as she laughed.

They kissed a little longer before they finally got up and Lucas packed the bags in the car before he came back into the house to help Haley. "You ready babe," he asked, walking up behind her and placing his hand on her back. "Yeah," she replied, "let's go." Lucas guided her out of the house and locked it up then led her to the car. He lowered her onto the passenger seat and positioned the back so it was slightly tilted back. He rubbed her stomach lightly with his fingers, "You comfortable? We've got a long drive ahead of us." She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, if you don't count my organs being beaten and battered every few minutes." Lucas placed a kiss on her belly as he rubbed it a few more strokes, "Braden, go easy on Mommy, okay? She's carrying you for two more months so I'd be nice to her. You don't want a hormonal, moody Mommy on your hands, believe me." Haley giggled as she lightly hit him in the chest with the back of her hand, "Luke!" He gently pressed his lips to her forehead then stroked her hair, "Get some rest. It'll take a couple of hours to get there." She nodded before pulling on her seat belt and clipping it into the slot, "Come on, let's get this show on the road!"

"Luke, I'm hungry," Haley whined half an hour later. He reached into the backseat and pulled out a bag of chocolate covered pretzels, Haley's favorite food of the moment, "Here, eat these. We'll stop for lunch in a little bit; it's only 10:00." "But I want breakfast," she pouted then her brightened as she pointed to something, "hey, look! Let's stop at Denny's!" Lucas sighed, "Fine, we'll stop." "Yay," Haley exclaimed happily as she clapped her hands. "What are you getting," Lucas asked as he pulled into a space. "I'm going to order the Grand Slam Slugger. It has two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, hash browns, and two pancakes. I'm getting hungrier just thinking about it," she smiled as she rubbed her stomach. "Wow, two of everything, that's a lot of food. I'm glad you're starting to eat more," Lucas responded as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "It's not really a lot of food. One each for Braden and me," Haley replied as she patted her belly. They were quickly seated and they put in their orders, Haley her Grand Slam Slugger and Lucas his BLT burger. While they ate, they made small talk about the cabin and the weather up there as well as the baby and that they needed to be getting things ready for Braden soon, meaning they'd have to go shopping for baby clothes and toys.

They were back on the road soon after they finished eating and thirty minutes later, Haley whined, "Luke, I have to go to the bathroom." "Hales, why didn't you go at Denny's," he sighed. "I didn't have to go then," she responded, "it isn't my fault that Braden keeps making me go pee every five damn minutes. I can't help it." "We'll get off at the next exit and find a gas station, okay," Lucas responded. Haley nodded, squeezing her legs together as best she could, "Please hurry." Haley bolted out of the car and raced to the bathroom the minute he pulled into a spot at a Circle K, which surprised him because she usually needed help getting in and out of the car. She came back out fifteen minutes later, her arms loaded with two bags of groceries. He looked at her with confusion written on his face. Hadn't they just eaten only half an hour ago? "What? I was hungry," she stated with a shrug. Lucas shook his head as he smiled. He was glad she was eating more now; at this point, the more weight she gained, the better off she and the baby would be. The baby wouldn't be born premature or underweight and Haley wouldn't have to be put on bed rest, one of the treatments the doctor had told them about if Haley stayed too underweight because she was more at risk for losing the baby, having it pre-term, or having complications herself. Lucas shuddered at the thought. He couldn't imagine what would happen if they lost the baby or anything happened to Haley and Braden. He'd be devastated; Krissy and Karen too. "Hey, what's wrong," Haley asked, placing her hand on his shoulder when she noticed the brooding look on his face.

"Nothing," Lucas turned to her and smiled, patting her thigh, "it's nothing." "Are you sure? If something's bothering you-" she replied uncertainly, wondering if he was lying to her about something again. "I'm fine," he responded, leaning over and placing a kiss on her forehead as he smiled and laced his fingers with hers, "I love you." Now Haley knew something was wrong, but what wasn't he telling her? She frowned for a moment but quickly hid it and put on a smile for him. "Okay," she whispered. Lucas noticed the sad expression cross her face for a fleeting moment and then squeezed her hand lightly. "Hey, I mean it. Nothing's wrong, I promise," he responded as he caressed her cheek with his hand. She nodded and sniffed as she bent her head and wiped her tears with her free hand. "Hales, please don't cry," he said as he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her body, kissing her softly on the cheek, "You know I hate seeing you cry." "I-I know. It's just these damn hormones…I can't help it," she replied shakily. "Come here," he said as he opened his arms for her to enter. She cuddled close as she wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her head in his chest and inhaling his scent, breathing in deeply the familiar scent of his cologne. "Sh…" he whispered as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. They stayed like that for several minutes until Haley finally pulled away and wiped the remaining tears from her face, "Let's get going. How much longer until we get there? I'm getting tired; I need a nap." "We still have a couple hours to go. Why don't you take a nap while I'm driving," he suggested as he moved a piece of hair from her face. She nodded as she positioned herself comfortably and reclined the seat back a little more so she could lie down. "Get some rest," he whispered as he ran his hand along her arm and rubbed her belly gently in circles a few turns. She nodded again as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Three hours later, Lucas finally arrived at the cabin with Haley having yet another nap. He turned off the car, getting out and going around it to Haley's side so he could wake her up. "Hales, wake up sweetie. We're here," he said softly as he caressed her face, rubbing his thumb gently against her cheek. "Mmm," she moaned as she stirred awake, "Are we there yet?" "Yeah, we are," Lucas responded as he placed the keys to the cabin in her hand, "You better put your sweater on, it's kind of chilly out. Go on into the cabin; I'll be there in a minute, I'm just going to get the bags." Haley positioned her seat back upright and her eyes grew large at the blanket of white covering the ground. "I-It's snowing," she whispered with amazement. "It is the mountains, Hales, of course it would be snowing," Lucas smirked as he helped her from her seat and gave her the sweater to put on, "I don't want you getting too cold. Watch where you step and look out for ice." "I will," she responded as she started to walk slowly, carefully through the snow to the cabin, holding onto the railing with her now gloved hands.

As Lucas pulled out their bags and set them on the ground, an idea popped into his head and a twinkle in his eye appeared as a devilish smirk spread across his face. He leaned down and quickly gathered up some snow, throwing it at her. He smiled in triumph as he watched it smack her right in the butt, his intended target. She shrieked and jumped a little, startled, then turned to him with wide eyes just as another one hit her in the face. She wiped the snow from her face as she pouted, "No fair! I can't bend down and get snow to make snowballs." "I know," he smirked as he bent down and formed a small snowball then threw it at her, landing on the side of her stomach. "C-Cold," Haley stuttered as she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Lucas quickly rushed over and started to guide her towards the house, "Oh Hales, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have kept you outside this long. I don't want you to get sick. Let's get you inside and warmed up." Once Haley was wrapped in a blanket and curled up on the couch in front of the fire Lucas had started in the fireplace, he went back out to retrieve their luggage.

He returned a few minutes later and crawled onto the couch beside Haley, resting his head in the small curve between Haley's breasts and the bump of her stomach, placing his hand on her belly and rubbed slowly in circles. He laid a gentle kiss on the bump as he caressed it softly. "I love you," he said quietly as he lifted one of her hands to his lips and nuzzled it with his nose. She ran her hand over his hair then down his back and kissed the top of his head, "I love you too." "What do you want to do," Lucas asked after a few moments, playing with her fingers. "Let's just lay here for a little while," Haley smiled as she leaned her head back against the couch and closed her eyes. "Are you still cold," he asked concernedly when he felt her shiver. "A little," she responded. "I can put some more wood on the fire, otherwise I have another idea of how we could keep warm…" Lucas trailed off with a smirk on his face and a glint in his eyes. Haley giggled as she leaned her head down and gently tugged on his ear with her lips, "I'm liking that idea…"

Later that night while Haley was soaking in long bubble bath, Lucas prepared a special romantic dinner for them. He dimmed the lights and set a red cloth over the table, placing a small vase of red and white roses in the center. Candles were lit and rose petals spread all along the hallway and around the outside of the dining table. He had made her favorite food, macaroni and cheese, and cooked some lemon pepper chicken to go with it. Instead of champagne or wine chilling in the ice bucket, in it rested a bottle of sparkling apple cider. Using the remote, he turned on some soft music just as Haley stepped from the bedroom, wearing the stunning black halter dress he had bought for her and left on the bathroom door for her to change into after she got out of her bath. Lucas' breath caught in his throat when he saw her and whispered softly as he stared at her with wide eyes so full of love and a smile spreading across his lips, "Hales…you look beautiful…" "Thanks," her cheeks tinted a light pink as she smoothed the dress over her body, "this dress must have cost you a fortune. You didn't need to get it for me." "I wanted to," he responded as he walked forward and wrapped his arms around her waist as best he could, "and it is worth every penny I paid for it because you're amazing." Tears welled in her eyes a little as she stared up at him the stood on her tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

"Come on, dinner is ready," he smiled as he took her hand and wrapped an arm around her back, guiding her to the beautifully set table with the vase of roses and two long candlesticks on either side of it. "Oh Lucas, this is wonderful…" inhaled sharply in surprise. He pulled out a chair for her and pushed it back in after she had sat then went into the kitchen to prepare their plates. Haley's eyes brightened even more at the sight of the generous helping of macaroni Lucas had placed on her plate, "You made mac and cheese," she asked as a big grin appeared on her face. "Your favorite," he smiled back then took his own seat across the table from her. "I love you," she said as she reached her hand over and took his hand into her own, gently squeezing it. "I love you too, Hales," Lucas responded as he rubbed his thumb softly over the back of her hand, staring into her beautiful brown doe eyes. They stared at each other for a few more long moments before they smiled at each other again then went back to eating their food, still holding hands.

Twenty minutes later, they were still eating as they talked about various things; Braden, Krissy, Peyton and Jake, Karen, and the café. Haley set her fork down on her plate as she grimaced and leaned forward a little, placing her hand behind her. "What's wrong," Lucas asked concernedly when he saw this. "My back hurts," she responded, "I think I slept on it wrong in the car or something." Lucas' brows furrowed even more in worry, "I didn't hurt you when we- you know…" Haley shook her head, "I don't think so, it's been hurting all day; it's just hurting a little bit worse than before, that's all. I'll just take some Tylenol and it'll go away. I think I'm going to go lie down for awhile, okay?" He nodded as he stood and helped her up then led her to the bedroom. Once she was changed into some pajamas and helped into bed, he pulled the covers up around her and kissed her gently on the forehead, "I'll come to bed in a little bit. I'm just going to clean up dinner and do the dishes, okay?" She nodded as she closed her eyes and tried to get comfortable. "Hey Luke," she asked. "Yeah," he replied as he turned to her and walked back over. "Could you get another pillow and put it under my back? I can't get comfortable, my back feels so tight, rigid," she requested. "Sure honey," he answered as he stroked her hair then moved some out of her face, "do you want me to rub your back for you?" "Please," she responded as she slowly turned on her side, careful not to twist and cause her back to hurt even more. Lucas grabbed another pillow from the closet and climbed into the bed beside Haley.

He started out first with just lightly running his fingernails up and down her back, trying to relax her. Haley was right; her back was so tense and stiff, it was no wonder her back hurt. He then rubbed the flat palms of his hands down her back and in circles. Lucas gently began to massage her and she flinched a few times when he hit some tender spots. "Sorry," he whispered as he began to rub her shoulders and neck then moved down to her lower back, the most tender of spots. He continued to do this for a long while, alternating between massaging and just simply running his hands over her back in soothing movements. Forty minutes later, Haley had finally drifted off to sleep and Lucas carefully got out of the bed to change into some flannel pajama pants then crawled back in beside her. He curled up behind her and she unconsciously snuggled back into his chest in her slumber. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair before laying his head on the pillow and closing his eyes, beginning to drift off to sleep himself.

The next day Lucas let Haley sleep late until ten, knowing she needed the rest, then woke her so she could have something to eat. "Rise and shine sleepyhead, it's time to get up," Lucas called out softly in a sing-song voice as he entered the bedroom with a tray of food for her. "Mmm," she moaned, "no, not time to get up. Sleep good…very good…" "I made us breakfast in bed. I guess I'll have to eat it all by myself then," he responded with a smile, knowing that would get her. "You do that," she mumbled from her pillow. Lucas' smile turned to a frown and his brows furrowed in concern, "Baby, what's wrong? Why don't you want to eat?" He quickly set the tray on the nightstand and sat on the edge of Haley's side of the bed, pulling back the covers a little so he could see her face. "I'm not hungry. I don't feel like eating and my back still hurts," she replied with a small whimper as she shifted to face Lucas more. She inhaled and exhaled a deep breath quickly as a few tears trickled down her cheeks, having escaped from her eyes. "Honey, maybe we should take you to the doctor," he said worriedly, "this can't be normal; all this pain. I think we should take you into town and see a doctor."

Haley shook her head, "No, I'll be okay. I think it's because I'm so short and small and carrying around all this heavy weight is causing all the pain. It happened when my mom was pregnant with Krissy because she's short like me if you remember." Lucas nodded his head and stroked her hair softly, moving some away from her face, "Do you need anything? Something to drink or do you need to go to the bathroom? Do you want any more Tylenol?" "I need to go to the bathroom," she replied, "Can you help me up?" He nodded as he stood and pulled back the covers, slowly helping her sit up. Haley let out a soft cry of pain as she finally sat upright and Lucas wrapped a strong arm around her, carefully, slowly, helping her to stand. "It hurts," she whimpered as she sagged against him, curling an arm under her belly and pressing upwards slightly, trying to alleviate some of the pain in her back. "Sh…I know sweetie," he tried to soothe her as he very gently ran his hand over her back. They finally reached the bathroom and he assisted her in lifting her nightgown up and pulling down her panties since she couldn't really do it herself for fear of more pain coursing through her spine. "Could you leave," Haley asked meekly once she had been carefully lowered onto the toilet. "No, I'm not leaving you," Lucas stated firmly as he shook his head.

"Please Luke? You can just stand outside the door if you want-" she asked of him. "I'm staying. I don't want you to get hurt," he replied. "I'll be fine," she stated weakly, "Please go? Could you get me some more Tylenol?" Lucas sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his hair, "Alright. I'll be just outside the door. Call me when you're done or if you need anything, okay?" She nodded and Lucas finally left then she buried her head in her hands, starting to cry softly so Lucas wouldn't hear her. Her back hurt so much and the Tylenol wasn't helping much, it only dulled the pain a little and didn't make it all go away. Once she was done, she placed one hand on the sink and the other on the wall, slowly pulling herself up a little and when she was standing slightly hunched, she carefully started to pull her panties back up but let out a soft cry at the pain that began to course down her spine. "Hales, are you alright," Lucas asked concernedly as he knocked on the door then quickly entered. He rushed over to her and helped her pull them the rest of the way up then wrapped his arm around her, supporting her as she leaned into him heavily. "Baby, I told you to call me when you were done. You could have hurt yourself even worse," he said worriedly as he stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.

Haley pushed him away, annoyed and angry with him, "I'm not a damn baby! I don't need to be helped every damn second! Leave me alone!" She took a few steps away from him then immediately placed her hands at her back and a loud sob tore from her throat as her knees began to go weak. "Luke," she whimpered as she reached out one of her hands behind her to him, "please…" "I got you, Hales, I've got you sweetie," Lucas responded as he rushed over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she sagged against him, "Let's get you back to bed, honey." He slid his hands under her and lifted her against him, wrapping her legs around his torso as he carried her to the bedroom and set her down on the bed. He then handed her two Tylenol as he raised the glass to her lips and she took a few sips after she downed the pills. He gently lifted her legs and positioned them on the bed, cradling her head and back as he carefully lowered her head onto the pillow. He cupped her face in his hand and softly stroked her cheek with his thumb then leaned over and first kissed her forehead then tenderly on her lips. He gently placed his index and middle fingers on her eyelids, slowly drawing them down. "Sleep," he whispered as he kissed her on the cheek one more time.

Once Lucas was sure Haley had fallen asleep, he ventured into the living room and sank heavily down onto the couch, burying his head in his hands. He hated seeing Haley in so much pain; it killed him. He started to cry in his hands, blaming himself for everything that had happened. He shouldn't have brought her up to the cabin. He had wanted to spend a nice and relaxing, romantic weekend with her and it was turning out horribly wrong. His head began to pound and he went in search for the regular Tylenol he had stored in his duffel bag. He had given Haley some Tylenol PM to help her sleep and calm her down a little; she needed the rest. When he finally found the bottle, there were only two left in it. After he took them, he decided to drive into town while Haley was napping to get some more and they also needed wood for the fire. He wrote a note to Haley saying where he was going and left it on the pillow beside her then grabbed the keys off the counter and walked out of the cabin, noticing that light snow was falling as he trudged through the snow to the Jeep.

A few hours later, Haley awoke from her slumber with a start. Pain flooded through her abdomen and she quickly gripped her belly, letting out a soft cry as she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes tight. _'No, this can't be happening…' _Haley thought as she waited for the pain to subside. When it finally did, she called out for her boyfriend, first softly then screaming his name as another contraction overtook her body, "Luke…LUCAS!" There was no answer; he didn't come. Where was he? She needed him and he wasn't there. She looked outside the window only to find it snowing heavily and she became even more worried. What if he was out in the storm? She began to sob from the excruciating pain she was experiencing and worrying about her boyfriend, but that was only the tip of the iceberg. She was all alone and in labor.

Lucas angrily slammed the door to his Jeep shut once he pulled up back at the cabin. It had been several hours since he had left and he hadn't meant to leave Haley alone for that long. He had gone into town to get some more Tylenol, wood, and some food when a storm hit and they received five to seven inches of snow alone in just two hours. He had left the cabin around eleven in the morning and it was now three in the afternoon. He would have gotten back sooner if it hadn't been for the snow storm, so he'd had to wait for the snow plow to pave the roads; and they were damn slow. Once he got as far as the snow plow had paved, he stopped the Jeep and put on the tire chains to travel over the several inches thick snow icing the ground. He stacked up the wood on the pile then retrieved the food and pills from the backseat and entered the cabin, sighing as he dropped the bags on the kitchen table and tossing his keys onto it as well. He shivered as he pulled off his large, thick overcoat and rubbed his hands together, trying to warm them. It was so cold in there; he hoped that Haley wasn't cold; he didn't want her getting sick. He grabbed some wood from the pile beside the fireplace and started up a fire, sitting there warming his hands for a moment before he finally stood and walked towards the bedroom to check on Haley.

Lucas quietly opened the bedroom door, not wanting to wake her if she was still sleeping. She was awake, however, and slightly sitting up with a few pillows behind her back. As soon as Haley saw him, her face contorted in anger as she yelled, "Where the hell have you been?" "I-I was in town…getting us some food and more wood for the fire…" he stopped when Haley let out a low scream then whimpered as she gripped her stomach. Lucas finally noticed her almost pale white complexion, her bangs and hair wet and plastered to her face, and she was panting heavily. Lucas' heart jumped in his throat as he asked worriedly in a whisper, "Hales, are you in labor?" She looks angrily at him again as she screamed, "Yes I'm in labor you fucking idiot! Can't you see that? Are you fucking blind?" She then buried her head in her hands and started to cry, "I'm sorry…" Lucas rushed to her side and stroked her hair then kissed her temple, "Sh…it's okay sweetie. Why don't we get you into a dry nightgown, huh?" She looked up at him with a fearful expression in her eyes, "Luke, I can't be in labor. It's too soon. I'm only seven months pregnant!" "I know baby," he kissed her forehead gently, "Let's just get you into something dry okay?" Haley nodded as tears fell down her cheeks, "Okay." Lucas carefully put his hand behind her back and sat her up more, but Haley screamed out in agony. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lucas said quickly as he laid her back down. "Luke, it hurts so much…" Haley whimpered. "I know honey," he replied, "let's try this differently, okay? I'm going to unbutton your nightgown and put a new one on you alright sweetie?"

She nodded and once he got her changed into some dry clothes, Haley asked through gritted teeth, "Luke, did you call the ambulance? When are they going to get here?" Lucas quickly stood up and reached for the phone, "Oh shit! I'm sorry Hales, I totally forgot. It will probably be awhile before they get here sweetie; the storm blocked off all of the roads and they have to get snowplows to pave the roads." "W-What are we going to do," she cried, "We're stranded here and I'm in labor and we have no medical help…" "Sh, honey. We'll get through this. Remember in the child development class we took sophomore year, the teacher taught everyone how to do an emergency delivery? I'll be right here by your side Hales," he took her hand in his and squeezed it lightly yet firmly. "B-But w-what if something goes wrong," she whispered with fear in her eyes. "The ambulance will be here as soon as it can," Lucas replied, changing the subject. He quickly placed the call to emergency then began to prepare for the birth of his child, of which he'd be delivering all by himself with no help whatsoever. He was scared shitless.

Lucas gathered some supplies such as blankets, towels, scissors, some string, a pot of warm water, and a small suction thing he couldn't recall the name of but knew he needed it to clean out fluids after the baby was born. He walked back into the bedroom with the supplies and set them on the floor at the end of the bed then went over to Haley and kneeled by her side, brushing some hair from her face, "How are you holding up sweetie?" "The contractions are getting closer…There's almost no rest period in between…" she panted heavily as she tried to use the breathing techniques she'd been taught in class, but wasn't succeeding well. "I'll be right back, I'm going to go wash my hands okay? Hang tight honey," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He then went to the bathroom and nearly scrubbed his arms and hands raw, knowing he needed to be extra clean to deliver the baby. He returned a few minutes later and pulled the covers off the bed so they wouldn't get in the way. "Alright sweetie, I need you to scoot down here to the edge of the bed. Can you do that," he asked gently. She nodded and slowly began to move down the bed, stopping a one or two times when a contraction hit.

He lifted her legs and positioned them upright on the bed then spoke to Haley softly, telling her what he was doing step by step so she wouldn't become more scared and stressed than she already was. "Okay honey, I'm going to take a look alright," he said then took her hand in his, gripping it in reassurance, "I'm right here Hales. Everything is going to be alright." She nodded silently as tears cascaded down her cheeks. Lucas took the hem of the nightgown in his hands then moved it up over her legs where it fell just below the curve of her round belly near the pelvic bone. Haley closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as another contraction caused pain to spread through her stomach. Lucas carefully grabbed the waistband of her panties and pulled them down off her legs, gasping at what he saw. "Hales, I can see the head," he exclaimed happily. "Really," Haley asked, her eyes widening in surprise. "Yeah," he responded with a smile as he looked up at her, "He has blonde hair Hales." "Just like his daddy," Haley grinned through her heavy breathing then closed her mouth and shut her eyes as she leaned back into the bed. "Another contraction," he inquired and when she nodded, he replied, "okay, let's start pushing Hales. I want you to take a deep breath and push while I count to ten. When I get to ten, you can release your breath and stop pushing alright?" "I know how it goes Luke," she responded through her panting, "the teacher in health class played 'The Miracle of Life' video so many times I swear it was just stuck on the labor part so it would convince us not to have sex so we wouldn't get pregnant. Apparently the movie didn't teach us anything."

Lucas chuckled then another contraction started and they quickly got to work. "Luke, hold my hand," Haley whimpered before she took a deep breath and began to push, Lucas counting to ten all the while. "You're doing great sweetie," Lucas murmured as he took a moment to wipe her sweaty forehead with a damp washcloth, "The head's almost out and from there it should be smooth sailing. Unless Braden has big shoulders, then he'll probably be a football player than a basketball player, which means we'll have to have another little boy to make sure the Scott basketball legacy lives on." "Oh no mister, we're not having any more kids. This is it. After Braden's born, no more kids. I'm not going through this again," she gripped onto his shirt. Lucas smiled, "I'm sure you'll change your mind." "No chance in hell," she screamed as she once again experienced a contraction. Lucas went back by her legs and began instructing her to push again. "The head's out Hales," he exclaimed after he counted to ten a second time. "Thank god," Haley groaned, "this kid's head must be huge!" "Hey, don't talk about our son like that. Besides, he's got to fit all the brains he got from his mommy and daddy in there," he responded. "Mostly from me," she mumbled. "I heard that," he said as he poked his head up over her legs. Haley rolled her eyes as she replied through closed eyes, "Just get back down there and work your magic-" Before she could continue, Lucas smirked as he responded, "Kinky." "Luke," she nudged him with her foot, "you didn't let me finish! I was saying that I want this baby out because Braden's being a pain in the ass like his father and taking his own sweet damn time coming out!"

Lucas laughed then said as the telltale signs of another contraction started, "Let's try to make this the last push, okay Hales? Push with all you have, alright?" She nodded and Lucas began counting to ten again as Haley gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, pushing with all her might to bring her child into this world. She finally felt the release of the baby as Lucas exclaimed happily, "He's out, Hales. We have a son!" Haley chuckled exhaustedly, "I would hope so, unless we'll have to tell Peyton to repaint the walls with pink." Haley smiled as the sweet sound of her baby's cry filled the room and she leaned her head back on the pillow. As he held his son in his arms, Lucas tied the string around the umbilical cord and wiped him off with a soft towel then wrapped him in a blanket. He stood and walked to the head of the bed, laying him gently on his mother's chest so Haley could see her son. "Oh Lucas, he's beautiful," Haley cried as she carefully stroked the baby's head. Lucas leaned down and kissed her temple, whispering in her ear, "I'll be right back. I'm gonna go wash my hands." She smiled as she looked up from gazing at her son to him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, too full of emotion to speak any louder. He kissed her forehead one more time and stroked her hair before getting up and walking out of the bedroom to go wash his hands.

He came back a couple minutes later and climbed onto the bed beside her. He first stroked her cheek then gently caressed the baby's head, staring down in wonder at his son, "You did good, Hales." She smiled as she slipped her pinky under one of Braden's small hands and he grasped it with his small fingers, "We did great." They were silent for a moment as they watched their son, mesmerized that they had created that little life and now he was here with them. Lucas turned to look at Haley as he took her free hand into his own, squeezing it lightly to get her attention. When Haley turned her head towards Lucas, she gasped as tears filled her eyes once again, seeing the diamond engagement ring he held between his thumb and forefinger. "Haley James, I love you with all my heart and soul and we have been together for as long as I can remember. You are my best friend and the mother of my children and so much more. You make me the happiest man in the world when I am with you and I can't imagine my life without you. Haley James, will you marry me," Lucas asked as he offered the ring out to her.

More tears cascaded down her cheeks in happiness as the man she loved finally asked her the one question she had been waiting to hear all her life. "Yes Lucas, of course I will," she exclaimed happily, causing Braden to whimper and scrunch his face, looking like he was about to cry. Haley gently rocked Braden to try and soothe him, "Sh, Braden, it's okay. Mommy's sorry, she didn't mean to be so loud." Once the baby was calmed down, Lucas took her left hand and slid the engagement ring on her finger, all the while staring into her beautiful brown doe eyes so full of love and the wide smile on her face. He entwined their fingers then carefully leaned over her and kissed her softly on the lips, "I love you." "I love you too," she murmured against his lips, sighing contentedly when they finally pulled away. She looked down to her son and saw two bright baby blues staring back up at her. "He has your eyes," Haley remarked in amazement, "He's going to look just like his daddy. He's gonna be a heartbreaker, this one." "He's got your nose," Lucas said. Haley scrunched her own nose, shaking her head. "I like your nose," he smiled as he placed a quick peck on the tip of her nose. Haley moved her head back a little more, causing Lucas' lips to land on hers and they shared another passionate kiss.

Suddenly, they heard a knock at the door and a deep male voice, "Hello? It's the emergency paramedics! We got a call that someone was in labor?" Lucas quickly got up and answered the door. "Yes, thank you for coming as soon as possible. I know it must have taken awhile to get here because of the unpaved roads. I almost missed the birth of my son because of it. They're in here," he replied as he led them back to the bedroom, "I took a child development class about two years ago and they showed us how to do an emergency delivery if we ever got in that situation and I thank god she taught us that. I tied the cord but didn't cut it off and she hasn't released the placenta yet. She and the baby are fine, no complications or anything." "That's good. Did you take an accurate time of when the baby was born for the birth records," one of the paramedics asked. Lucas nodded as he smiled proudly, "Born at 4:21 p.m. His name is Braden Michael Scott." "Congratulations," the two men clapped him on the back. "Hales, the paramedics are here," he said quietly as he entered the room, not wanting to wake the sleeping baby in her arms.

Once Haley and Braden were assessed, they loaded mother and baby on a stretcher as they couldn't use a gurney with wheels because of the snow and loaded them into the back of the ambulance. Lucas grabbed his coat and keys and followed, hopping into the back with her. Lucas took Haley's hand and kissed it as one of the paramedics closed the doors and they began their drive back into town to the hospital. Haley and little Braden were kept overnight as standard procedure rules required them to keep an eye on the new mother and baby just in case complications were to arise. Lucas stayed with them all night, letting Haley sleep while he tended to his son unless he needed to be fed; only then would he wake her. The next day they were released from the hospital and they headed back to the cabin to rest. They had decided to stay one more day before making the drive home with their new little one in tow.

Lucas packed the last bag into the Jeep then returned to the cabin, calling out, "Hales, are you almost ready?" "Yeah, I'm just changing Braden before we go," she responded back just as he entered the living room where she was kneeling on the floor changing Braden's diaper as he lay on a thick soft blanket. She finally stood and cleaned everything up and put it back in the diaper bag they had bought yesterday on their way back from the hospital. "Bundle him up good. We don't want our little guy getting sick now do we," Lucas said as he tickled the baby's tummy with an index finger. Haley grinned down at her son then up at her fiancé. Fiancé. She was still amazed by the word. She had waited so long for this; marrying the man of her dreams, the love of her life, and starting a family with him, and now it was all finally happening.

After giving the cabin a once-over to make sure they didn't leave anything behind, the couple headed out to the car. Haley buckled Braden into the car seat position in the middle of the back row behind the front two seats so Haley would be able access him if need be. They finally got in the front and started the Jeep, staring up at the cabin and smiling at the memory of their time there. Lucas put it into gear and started to drive off. "How long is the drive again," Haley asked, not knowing because she had slept through the drive up. "Three or four hours, depending if there's lots of snow. We'll have to make a few pit stops; gas and food, bathroom breaks and stuff," he replied. "Oh god, a four hour drive with a newborn crying baby? I hope he sleeps most of the way through," Haley groaned. "He's pretty quiet for a newborn; not like those other babies we saw in the nursery at the hospital. I don't think he'll be much of a problem," Lucas responded as he looked in the rearview mirror at his sleeping son.

Two hours later, they were traveling along a deserted highway when Haley shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Luke, I need to feed Braden," she grimaced as she felt the tightness in her chest became more prominent. Since there were no exits along the highway as far as he could see, Lucas decided to just pull over onto the side of the road. Haley got out and sat in the back beside the car seat, gently lifting Braden out and cradling him close to her chest. She lifted her shirt a little and unhooked her bra in the front, allowing little Braden to nurse. Lucas came up beside them and wrapped his arm around Haley's shoulders, kissing her temple and lightly stroking the baby's head. Haley felt Lucas' fingers move very slowly from the baby's head to her breast, trying to be subtle, but she slapped his hand away, "Pervert!" Lucas laughed, trying to look innocent, but she knew better, "What? I wasn't trying anything." "Oh please, you were trying to feel me up while our son is right here in my arms and the one he was using no less. Shame on you, trying to take a hungry little baby's food from him," she scolded him jokingly. "I'm hungry too," he smirked with that little gleam in his eyes. Haley's mouth dropped in shock. Braden let go and she switched him to her other breast and when she saw Lucas' hand creeping again, she said sternly, "Lucas Scott, don't even think it!" "I wasn't going to do anything," he tried playing the innocent card again. "Please, I know how your dirty mind works and there will be no sex for a long while, I can assure you of that. I don't want more kids anytime soon. We already have our hands full with Krissy and Braden," Haley responded. She finished up feeding Braden and soon they were back on their way. "How much longer," Haley asked, hating having to sit still for so long. "About another hour and a half, two hours. We've got one more stop to make though," he responded with a secretive smile as he pulled back onto the highway.

When they entered back into Tree Hill, Lucas called his mom to let her know they would be by shortly to pick Krissy up. Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of Karen's house. When she heard an engine cut out, Karen called out for Keith as she raced down the steps just as Lucas stepped from the car. "Lucas," she yelled excitedly as she engulfed him in a large hug then pulled back, "What took you guys so long? You two were supposed to be back yesterday." "There was a snow storm up there so we couldn't go anywhere until the roads were paved. Plus, some things happened and we couldn't leave town on time as planned," he replied, inwardly smiling. "What…" Karen's brows furrowed in confusion but her eyes grew wide and she gasped as Haley walked around the side of the Jeep holding a baby in her arms, "Oh my god! You had the baby!" She faced her son and slapped him on the shoulder, "Why didn't you call me?" "The phones wouldn't work because of the bad reception until we got near town and we also wanted it to be a surprise," Lucas grinned. Haley stepped forward and carefully laid her son in Karen's arms, smiling at the two, "Mom, I would like you to meet your grandson, Braden Michael Scott." "Oh, he's so precious," Karen replied, her voice full of emotion as a few tears rose to her eyes, tucking the blanket closer around Braden and running a few fingers over his head.

"Daddy, Mommy! You're back," Krissy screamed happily as she raced down the steps to the couple. "Hey baby girl," Lucas said as he leaned over and picked her up, "Did you have fun at Grandma's? Were you good?" Krissy nodded her head emphatically with a bright grin on her face, "I always am Daddy. I'm a good girl." "Yes you are," Haley responded as she tickled her tummy. Krissy giggled then saw the baby in Karen's arms be handed back to Haley. "Mommy, is that Braden," she inquired curiously. "Yes sweetie, this is your nephew Braden. He's more like your brother though because you two will be so close. I know you will be great friends," Haley smiled as she rocked her son. "He's so small. When do I get to play with him," Krissy asked. Lucas patted her back, "Not for a while sweetie. He's only a little baby." "Oh," Krissy replied, a pout forming on her face. "Do you want to see him," Lucas asked. She nodded and he set her down then took Braden from Haley and sat down on the bench swing on the porch, "Come here Kris." She climbed up beside him and sat on her knees, peering over Lucas' arm at the baby. She was silent for a few moments as she studied him and then Lucas asked, "So, what do you think?" Krissy shrugged nonchalantly, "He's cute, for a boy." Lucas laughed and so did the others.

Braden started to whine and Lucas held him up against his shoulder, slowly rubbing his back. He didn't settle down and finally Haley took him, doing the same thing, and it seemed to calm him down. As Haley rubbed his back with her left hand, her ring caught in the light and Karen gasped. She looked to Haley's ring and grabbed her hand then to Lucas, questions in her eyes, "Lucas?" He looked to Haley as they shared a smile and then he lifted his left hand too, "We got married this morning." Her eyes grew wide at this admission, "What?" "We got-" Lucas started to repeat but Karen interrupted him. "I heard you the first time Lucas. Why didn't you get married here, with all your friends and family?" "We had originally wanted to get married before Braden was born but that didn't happen since he came early, so we did the next best thing, which was the day after he was born," Haley supplied as she stared down at her son. "Lucas Scott and Haley James-Scott, you two are going to give us a real wedding whether you like it or not. I can't believe you two would get married without us there," Karen scolded good-naturedly with a grin. "Scott," Haley said as she looked up to her husband with a soft smile and Karen looked to her in confusion, "It's just Haley Scott."

"Oh, I'm so happy for you guys," Karen gushed as she opened her arms and enveloped them in a hug. "Careful! Baby in arms," Haley exclaimed as she pulled slightly away. Braden yawned and started to whimper, signaling that he was getting ready to cry. Haley gently bounced him as she cradled his head in her hand. "Sh, Braden, it's okay," she looked up to Lucas, who got her silent message. "Mom, Braden's getting fussy and he needs a nap so we're just going to get Kris and head on home, okay," Lucas responded. "Alright honey, you be careful driving. Bring that baby by here tomorrow; I want to spend some more time with my grandson." "Okay Mom," Lucas kissed her cheek then went into the house to get Kris and her things while Haley went back to the car and buckled Braden in his car seat. After Krissy was securely buckled into her own car seat, the little family drove off, waving their hands out the windows in farewell.

Once they got home, Haley put Braden down for a nap for a little while and she, Lucas, and Krissy played some games and watched movies until it was dinner time. After dinner Braden woke up for another feeding and change then the three played with him for a little bit, tickling his tummy and talking to him. Lucas tended to Braden while Haley gave Krissy her bath and got her into pajamas then read her a book. Braden finally fell asleep and Lucas put him in his crib. He stood there for a few moments, watching his son sleep. Haley came up beside him, wrapping one arm around his torso as she rested her head against his chest and she looked up into his blue eyes, smiling, as he gazed down into her own brown ones. Their lips began to move towards each other and Haley stood on her tiptoes, first kissing him softly then pressed more into his mouth, cupping his cheek in her hand. "All the kids asleep," Lucas asked when they broke apart, rubbing her back in large circles. Haley nodded as she smiled at him. "Good, let's get some sleep. We'll need as much as we can get. There's going to be a lot of sleepless nights for the next couple months," he responded. Haley giggled as she took his hand and led him to the bedroom. They changed into pajamas and slipped under the covers, exhausted from the past few days' events. Haley snuggled into his bare chest, inhaling his scent contentedly, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. Lucas kissed the top of her head and stroked her hair, whispering in her ear, "I love you Hales." "I love you too, Luke," she responded sleepily as she placed a kiss on his jaw and snuggled deeper into him. Lucas smiled as he closed his eyes. He felt complete, fulfilled; he was married to his beautiful wife, his best friend, and he had two wonderful children. Life couldn't have been better as he held his wife in his arms and began to drift off to sleep.

**Author's Note 2:** I would like to thank each and every one of you personally for reading and reviewing my story and offering so much support for it, but there are too many of you to thank each and every individual who reviewed. I want to thank Tay, Malin, Christina, Lin, Ali, Katie, ForeverYours, and maggymoo for all you support and always being devoted to this story. All of the feedback I get from you guys, all of you, means so much to me. It brightens my day when I've had a bad one or makes my day even better to come on and read all the wonderful reviews. I cannot thank you all enough. Anyway, thank you all again. You are a great bunch of people!


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